Round 8, Parentini Wessex CX League, Swindon
Moredon Recreation ground, Swindon was the Parentini Wessex league round 8 venue for part two of a busy weekend of cross racing after the National Trophy at Ardingly that meant a slightly lower club turnout with older riders opting to take on the challenge at Ardingly on Saturday. Either way, the mud was ‘tractor pull’ thick! There was a double Wessex win for the Hall family with dad Jon taking the v50 victory and Izzy winning the U12 girls!
Well done also to Hannah Olney on her first podium finish!
U8 Boys
William Dyer 4th, Giulio Scarponi 6th, Lorenzo Scarponi 8th, Samuel Comben 9th, Thomas Comben 11th.
U8 Girls
Jaya Martingale 4rd, Isabelle Mar-Molinero 4th.
U10 Girls
Hannah Olney 3rd.
U12 Boys
Charlie Shepherd 12th, Niclas Olley 13th.
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 1st, Skye Martingale 7th.
U14 Girls
Emma Harrison 6th.
Round 7, Parentini Wessex CX League, Sparsholt
Sparsholt college near Winchester was this weeks venue for round 7 of the Parentini Wessex CX league and the mud was back after storms on Saturday with the mostly flat course that featured some very tricky corners in the slippy conditions.
Special mentions to Lucy Phillips who didn't race but has been wearing the series leader jersey in the U14 girls, Tom Wilks on his first win in the U10s, George Connell - reaching third on the podium as a first year U14 and the Gilbert triplets giving racing a go for the first time... "They absolutely loved it and had a great time, so definitely the right call to push them a bit to give it a go."
The parents racing also had some great results including coach and Dad, Ben Darnton getting the v40 men's series leader jersey.
U8 Boys
William Dyer 3rd, Leo Darnton 5th, Giulio Scarponi 7th, Lorenzo Scarponi 8th, Samuel Comben 10th, Harry Banks 11th, Thomas Comben 12th.
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 2nd, Eve Carline 3rd, Jaya Martingale 4th, Isabelle Mar-Molinero 6th.
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 1st, Evan Gilbert 13th, Morgan Gilbert 14th, Aneurin Gilbert 15th.
U10 Girls
Eva Mar-Molinero 3rd, Marit Davidse 5th.
U12 Boys
Monty Flavell 4th, Charlie Shepherd 8th, Aaron Hay-Ibanez 16th, Tom Allen 20th, Benji Pike 23rd.
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 2nd, Skye Martingale 5th, Ella Ridgment 8th.
U14 Boys
George Connell 3rd, Louis Kirk 11th, Sam Ridgment 16th.
U14 Girls
Emma Harrison 7th, Ruby Flavell 11th.
U16 Boys
Max Darnton 7th.
Round 6, Parentini Wessex CX League, Southampton
Round 6 of the Parentini Wessex Cyclocross League on Sunday and home race for us at Southampton Sports Centre. After a wet and wild course set up on Saturday, we were surprised how the course held up. Just the right mix of sun and mud and one of the trickiest off camber banks around on the course designed by our coaches for our U14 and 16 riders, literally kept riders on their toes.
An incredible 64 Sotonia riders took part including 40 youths!
Special mention to George Connell on his best result as first year U14, clearly loving the local hills and putting a big smile on head coach and dad, Phil's face - hope you heal up soon Phil!
U8 Boys
William Dyer 2nd, Leo Darnton 4th, Lorenzo Scarponi 5th, Giulio Scarponi 7th, Leon Spall 12th.
U8 Girls
Eve Carline 1st, Tilly Wilks 3rd, Jaya Martingale 5th, Isabelle Mar-Molinero 6th.
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 2nd, Cordon Eccleston 17th, Lucas Mills 20th.
U10 Girls
Eva Mar-Molinero 2nd, Marit Davidse 5th, Sophie Jacobs 6th, Tess Bignell 8th, Hannah Olney 10th, Alisha Kirk 12th, Eleanor Spall 13th.
U12 Boys
Monty Flavell 4th, Stanley Phillips 5th, Charlie Shepherd 7th, Niclas Olley 9th, Joseph Bignell 14th, James Blankley 17th, Benji Pike 18th, Harry Lawrence 19th, Tom Allen 20th.
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 1st, Skye Martingale 6th, Ella Ridgment 8th, Poppy Carline 9th, Sophie Eccleston 11th.
U14 Boys
George Connell 6th, Louis Kirk 15th, Sam Ridgment 18th, Jonathan Lowe 26th.
U14 Girls
Lucy Phillips 1st (series leader), Emma Harrison 6th.
U16 Boys
Max Darnton 8th.
Big thank you to our sponsor GA Cycles and all the absolute legends in our club who helped made the event possible.
Round 4, Parentini Wessex CX League, Droxford
Round 4 of the Parentini Wessex CX league moved closer to home with a return to Droxford near Bishops Waltham and a super impressive 34 Sotonia youth racers (part of a 52 strong club line up and a new record number) were treated to a second moto-x venue in as many weeks. Overnight rain again added mud, especially for the fearsome "Hecklers Hill" which the U14s and U16s had to contend with. Elsewhere we had low barriers which many of our young racers managed to ride over - special mention to Leo Darnton who rode them in his first U8 race and without any prior experience!
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 3rd, Isabelle Mar-Molinero 4th, Jaya Martingale 6th, Eve Carline 7th.
U8 Boys
William Dyer 4th, Leo Darnton 5th, Lorenzo Scarponi 7th, Guilio Scarponi 10th, Harry Banks 11th.
U10 Girls
Marit Davidse 6th, Hannah Olney 7th.
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 2nd, Cordon Eccleston 13th.
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 2nd, Skye Martingale 6th, Ella Ridgment 7th, Poppy Carline 8th.
U12 Boys
Stanley Phillips 4th, Niclas Olley 10th, Tom Allen 16th, Benji Pike 20th, George White 21st, Harry Lawrence 24th, Finley Banks 25th, Hugh Treble 26th.
U14 Girls
Olivia Allman 6th, Emma Harrison 7th.
U14 Boys
George Connell 13th, Sam Ridgment 22nd, Jonathan Lowe 23rd, Louis Kirk 24th.
U16 Boys
Max Darnton 7th.
Great riding everyone!
Round 3, Parentini Wessex CX League, Swindon
Round 3 of the Parentini Wessex CX league gave us a new course on the Foxhill motocross circuit at Swindon, hosted by ASE Racing and Hargroves Cycles and our 24 youth racers knew they could expect one thing - hills. Overnight rain also added the extra potential for mud which was plentiful in the youth races.
It didn't slow the kids though – Tilly Wilks was first U8 girl, William Dyer 3rd U8 boy, Eva Mar-Molinero 2nd U10 girl, Tom Wilks 5th u10 boy, Sky Martingale 5th U12 girl, Monty Flavell motoring through the field after a couple of slips to take 3rd, with Stanley Phillips 4th in the U12 boys. Max Darnton 5th U16 and a win for Lucy Phillips in the U14 girls - taking the Parentini series leader jersey too!
Special mention to Louis Kirk who had to complete his race in the hardest gear after a mechanical - no mean feat with all those hills!
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 1st, Isabella Mar-Molinero 5th.
U8 Boys
William Dyer 3rd, Guilio Scarponi 6th, Lorenzo Scarponi 10th, Harry Banks 19th.
U10 Girls
Eva Mar-Molinero 2nd, Hannah Olney 7th
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 5th.
U12 Girls
Skye Martingale 5th, Izzy Hall DNF.
U12 Boys
Monty Flavell 3rd, Stanley Phillips 4th, Charlie Shepherd 10th, Niclas Olney 14th, Tom Allen 18th, Benji Pike 19th.
U14 Girls
Lucy Phillips 1st.
U14 Boys
George Connell 13th, Louis Kirk 20th, Sam Ridgment 21st.
U16 Boys
Max Darnton 5th.
Great riding everyone!
Round 2, Parentini Wessex CX League, Reading
Did they say it’s usually dry for September cyclocross races these days? Well scratch that… the ground at Prospect Park in Reading went from baked like concrete to mudfest in a couple of hours on Sunday for round 2 of the Parentini Wessex Cyclo-Cross league. However, before the downpour, the kids were lucky to get some exciting racing at one of our favourite (if unforgiving) courses. 45 Sotonia riders made the trip including 27 Sotonia youths which was great to see.
Plenty of great rides too...
U8 girls
Eve Carline, Jaya Martingale, Tilly Wilks and Isabelle Mar-Molinero 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th.
U8 boys
William Dyer 2nd, Giulio Scarponi 6th, Harry Banks 8th, Lorenzo Scarponi 9th.
U10 girls
Eva Mar-Molinero 4th, Marit Davidse 6th, Tess Bignell 10th.
U10 boys
Tom Wilks 7th.
U12 girls
Izzy Hall 2nd, Skye Martingale 6th, Ella Ridgment 7th, Poppy Carline 9th.
U12 boys
Charlie and Douglas Forrester (racing for Zepnat) took 1-2, Stanley Phillips 5th, Charlie Shepherd 7th, Tom Allen 21st, George White 23rd, Benji Pike 25th, Finlay Banks 27th.
U14 girls
Lucy Phillips 2nd, Emma Harrison 9th, Olivia Allman 12th.
U14 boys
It was a busy weekend for George Connell after some good experience in his debut at the National Trophy in Derby on Saturday, he finished 17th at Reading, Sam Ridgment 26th.
U16 boys
Max Darnton impressed again with 5th place in his first year in the fast and furious U16 category.
Great racing everyone!
Round 1, Parentini Wessex CX League, Newbury
The Parentini Wessex Cyclo-Cross league got off to a flying start at Newbury race course on Sunday 15th in super hot and dusty conditions that are becoming more common in September these days. Round 1, held for the second year on the flat racecourse infield of long, draggy grass and gravel tracks saw a sea of orange take to the start line with 26 Sotonia youths part of our team of 43 riders!
There were podiums in the U8s for Tilly Wilks (1st), U12s with Izzy Hall and Charlie Shepherd 1st and 3rd in their races, Lucy Phillips 3rd U14.
Great racing everyone!
Round 14 Wessex Cyclocross League, Crabwood
The last race at Southampton Sports Centre was a great end to the 2018/19 Wessex League Cyclocross season. The course was the hardest one that our youngsters faced all season. The Crabwood cycling club organisers broke with tradition and made the youngsters cross the muddy BMX track and then go back through the forest. This meant a technical, muddy, hilly, varied, long and hard loop that tested everyone. Experience paid dividends on this course and a number of our riders wisely choose to run some sections and they avoided the many falls that riders had.
In the U8 Girls Tilly used her experience to run sections and finish second. She only had to give way to the daughter of a former British CX Champion. Tess had a bad fall but recovered to finish in 3rd place. Jaya once again gained yet more experience - she is quietly getting ready to be top girl in next years U8s!
The U8 Boys category in the club is also getting more competitive with Freddie, William and Corden joining Harry as regulars. Freddie continued on from his good result at Crow to finish 6th this time. William had a very hard introduction to racing but coped well. The muddy course was hard for Corden's 20 inch wheels but he gained valuable skills for next year's season.
Skye narrowly missed the podium in the U10 Girls race finishing 4th. Ella showed that like Skye she is ready for next year's U12 category as she finished not far behind Skye. Marit will be the oldest U10 girl next year and she used her experience to walk muddy sections and avoid the many crashes. Eva, Hannah and Alisha have not done as many races as Marit but they all coped well with the conditions and showed great determination.
In the U10 Boys Stanley just missed the podium. He was followed by Jo Bignell and Tom Wilks who have been close all season. Jo had the upper hand this time finishing 6th. Tom will be the oldest U10 boy next year and he showed he is ready for this. Tom Allen, Sam White, Benji and Sam Perry showed how far the Sotonia Youth Coaching has matured as they all had their own battles with riders from other clubs to create great racing.
The larger bikes in the U12 race coped better with the muddy banks but the greater speeds still meant there were falls for some of our riders. George narrowly missed out on the podium to finish 4th. Samuel and Monty discussed race tactics in the car on the way to the race. This must have worked as Samuel had one of his best races this season finishing 7th. Monty is a gymnast as well and he used all his acrobatics to control the bike in the mud finishing 9th as most likely the youngest person in the race. Just like in the U10 race Jonathan, Charlie, Sid and George White showed the strength of our coaching as they made other riders work hard for their positions.
The U14 team for Sotonia is still small but a number of U12 riders are moving up next year. Lucy had a great race to finish 3rd in the U14 girls and together with Max and Louis they showed that next year's U16 race will be full of talented and competitive Sotonia riders.
At the end of a great day of racing the stats read:
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 2nd, Tess Bignell 3rd, Jaya Martingale 4th
U8 Boys
Freddie Kelsall-Joel 6th, William Dyer 7th, Harry Banks 11th, Corden Eccleston 14th
U10 Girls
Skye Martingale 4th, Ella Ridgment 6th, Marit Davidse 8th, Eva Mar-Moliner 10th, Hannah Olney 11th, Alisha Kirk 12th
U10 Boys
Stanley Phillips 4th, Jo Bignell 6th, Tom Wilks 7th, Tom Allan 9th, Sam White 11th, Benji Pike 13th, Sam Perry 15th
U12 Girls
Olivia Allman 6th, Emma Harrison 7th
U12 Boys
George Connell 4th, Samuel Ridgment 7th, Monty Flavell 9th, Jonathan Lowe 14th, Charlie Shepherd 17th, Sid Kelsall-Joel 25th, George White 27th
U14 Girls
Lucy Philips 3rd
U14 Boys
Max Darnton 7th, Louis Kirk 12th
Round 13 Wessex Cyclocross League, Crow Hill
Round 13 of the Wessex Cyclocross league at Crow was held at an exciting and beautiful venue deep in the New Forest countryside. The course was more technical than most of the courses that our riders have raced this year. There were steep and short banks, downhill corners and many twists and turns. A total of 29 riders of our coaching group raced on the day, all excellently supported by Natalie from the events team.
A number of highlights were: Freddy making a return back to CX and finishing 6th in U8 boys, Corden putting his earlier bad experience at the Andover race behind him and racing well in the U8s, Eva getting used to racing and pushing Marit in the U10s, Charlie nearing a top 10 finish in the U12s and Samuel finding his old form to finish 6th in the U12s.
As always some of our riders managed to climb on the podium with Tilly finishing 2nd in U8 girls and Izzy 3rd in the U12 girls.
U8 girls
Tilly Wilks 2nd, Jaya Martingale 5th
U8 boys
Freddie Kelsall Joel 6th, Harry Banks 9th, Corden Eccleston 11th
U10 girls
Skye Martingale 7th, Sophie Eccleston 10th, Marit Davidse 11th, Eva Mar-Molinero 12th
U10 boys
Stanley Philips 4th, Jo Bignell 5th, Finlay Banks 10th, Tom Wilks 12th, Tom Allen 13th, Benji Pike 16th
U12 girls
Izzy Hall 3rd, Olivia Allman 4th, Emma Harrison 9th, Ruby Flavell 11th
U12 boys
George Connell 5th, Samuel Ridgment 8th, Charlie Shepherd 11th, Jonathan Lowe 14th, Monty Flavell 19th, Sid Kelsall Joel 28th, Harry Lawrence 29th
U14 girls
Lucy Philips 5th
U14 boys
Max Darnton 7th, Louis Kirk 15th
South Regional Cyclocross Championships, Keynsham
Well done everyone who made the trip to the recent Southern regional Cyclocross Championships at Keynsham near Bristol - great riding by all our team...
Stanley Phillips U10 champion!
George Connell 2nd place U12
Skye Martingale 3rd U10 girl
Jaya Martingale 2nd U8 girl
2nd place for Tom Budden in the seniors too!