Round 10 Wessex Cyclocross League, Andover
The Andover race was held at a new venue for the Wessex League - Redenham Park near Andover. It proved to be one of the longest and most challenging courses for the U10s and U12s of the season so far. The bumpy grassland meant that wheels did not roll and our riders had to keep pushing those pedals to keep the bike moving. Riders with smaller wheels were at a distinct disadvantage.
In the U8 race Tilly took advantage of Tess's absence and rode to a 1st place! Skye had a brief respite from Marit endlessly chatting and she rode to a very solid 3rd place in the U10 Girls. Our U10 Boys made up over a quarter of the field in that race and they all rode well. Tom enjoyed his first race although his smaller wheels made the going hard.
The U12 race proved a difficult day out for Izzy and Samuel who both came up against health niggles but as they say form is temporary and class is permanent so they will come back stronger! Charlie was in a great battle and he let out the occasional roar to finish in 11th place. George White had a solid race and his position showed how high the level is of U12 racing as he was towards the back of the field but miles ahead of 2 first timers who gave racing a try. George Connell was our highest placed rider but he had to settle for 4th place this week.
Max and Louis were once again our representatives in the U16 Youth race. The long course and their position in the field meant that they were racing around 40 minutes! Both finished in the same lap as the leader which is a good achievement given they are up against 15 year olds.
U10 race - 35 in race
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 1st (28)
U8 Boys
Harry Banks 7th (31), Corden Eccleston 10th (35)
U10 Girls
Skye Martingale 3rd (16), Marit Davidse 7th (22)
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 6th (7), Finlay Banks 11th (14), Samuel White 12th (18), Tom Allen 14th (23) Lucas Mills 15th (27)
U12 race - 36 in race
U12 Girls
Olivia Allman 8th (26), Emma Harrison 9th (29), Izzy Hall 11th (36)
U12 Boys
George Connell 4th (4), Samuel Ridgment 9th (11), Charlie Shepherd 11th (14), George White 21st (30)
U16 race - 27 in race
U14 Boys
Max Darnton 9th (16), Louis Kirk 11th (20)
Round 9 Wessex Cyclocross League, Droxford
A total of 22 youth riders made the trip to the remote but beautiful Droxford venue. The dry weather over the last week combined with the exposed and windy position of the course meant there was no mud insight. This might mean less excitement for the parents but it also means there is no need to spend a long time cleaning bikes afterwards!
In the U8 Girls race it took the daughter of a former British Cyclocross Champion (Eva Hammond) to stop Tess getting a gold medal and she had to settle for silver this time. Tilly missed out on the podium by a few seconds and Jaya finished a solid 5th. Dad Phil Banks started racing as well this year and his excellent results (24th in "Seniors") must be an inspiration as Harry came home in front of the son of Roger Hammond!
Skye and Ella had their usual battle for best U10 Sotonia girl. This week Ella had the upper hand coming home in 9th place with Skye just behind her. Marit choose to ride her new dropped handle bar bike but she found the brakes hard and carefully rode her way to 15th place.
Stanley had a great race to finish 3rd in the U10 boys. Jo was still suffering from the effects of a bad cold and saw Tom be faster than him this week. Both had a solid top 10 finish and together with Finlay, Sam and Lucas they pushed the non-Sotonia riders hard for their positions!
In the U12 race there were no mechanical problems for George C. this time and he finished a well deserved 2nd. Olivia, Emma, Samuel, Charlie, Jonathan and George W all had good races and in their own way contribute huge amounts to making the U12 race an exciting one to watch.
Lucy and Max were our two representatives in the U16 race which is a huge step up from the U12 race. Once again they were a great example to our younger riders finishing 4th and 7th in their categories.
U10 race - 53 in race
U8 girls
Tes Bignell 2nd (43), Tilly Wilks 4th (47), Jaya Martingale 5th (50)
U8 boys
Harry Banks 9th (49)
U10 girls
Ella Ridgment 9th (30), Skye Martingale 10th (32), Marit Davidse 15th (42)
U10 boys
Stanley Philips 3rd (3), Thomas wilks 6th (6), Joseph Bignell 7th (9), Finlay Banks 12h (18), Samuel White 17th (29), Lucas Mills 21st (44)
U12 race - 42 in race
U12 girls
Olivia Allman 6th (24), Emma Harrison 7th (34)
U12 boys
George Connell 2nd (2), Samuel Ridgment 8th (9), Charlie Shepherd 14th (17), Jonathan Lowe 17th (22), George White 33rd (40)
U16 race - 51 in race
U14 girls
Lucy Phillips 4th (34)
U14 boys
Max Darnton 7th (19)
Round 8 Wessex Cyclocross League, Abingdon
A total of 15 Sotonia Youth riders made the long trip north to Abingdon. The last time our riders raced the Abingdon course they tackled snow and below zero temperatures. The weather was kind on the youngsters but rain arrived for the dads and coaches and they had a very muddy and slippery course to deal with.
Highlight for those watching must have been Jo Bignell finishing 3rd in the U10 race and beating number 4 by a tenth of a second. Jo can finally show his sister Tes a medal when she brings out her bag of trophies. Tes added to her bag by yet another 1st in the U8 girls! The future of Sotonia youth girls looks secure with Tilly in 3rd place and a young 6 year old Jaya gaining a lot of experience before she is one of the older ones and competes for podium places. Skye narrowly missed out on the podium finishing 4th.
Harry Banks was our only rider in the U8 Boys category and his older brother Finlay is clearly a good example as Harry is improving with every race and finished a solid 13th in the U8 boys.
In the U12 race, our top boy was Samuel in 6th place but there was bad luck for George Connell who had a DNF because of a puncture. His early lap times show he was competing for the podium so it must have been hard to have to retire. Luckily dad Phil had the good fortune to race in a classic muddy race so hopefully that made the trip up north worth it. Izzy was once again on the podium finishing 2nd.
Max Darnton was our only rider in the Youth race. Max finished a solid 9th in the U14 race having used Justin's spare wheel when his own wheel decided to block up.
U10 race - 55 riders
U8 Girls
Tes Bignell 1st (35), Tilly Wilks 3rd (40), Jaya Martingale 8th (50)
U8 Boys
Harry Banks 13th (44)
U10 Girls
Skye Martingale 4th (19)
U10 Boys
Jo Bignell 3rd (3), Finlay Banks 9th (12), Tom Wilks 10th (13)
U12 race - 28 riders
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 2nd (11), Olivia Allman 5th (19), Emma Harrison 7th (25)
U12 boys
Samuel Ridgment 6th (6), Charlie Shepherd 16th (21), George Connell DNF
U14 Boys - 53 riders in U16 race
Max Darnton 9th (26)
Round 7 Wessex Cyclocross League, VC Venta
First of all well done to the set-up team as they found a great spot for the Sotonia tent that was close to the start and finish. Other clubs must either be impressed or annoyed by our ever growing presence at races.
The Sparsholt course for the youngsters was similar to last year with just one short and steep hill to provide a technical challenge.
Our podium regulars all made us proud as they once again made it on the podium with Tes 1st in the U8 girls, Izzy 3rd in U12 girls and George an amazing 2nd place in U12 boys. Other riders had a hard day, Charlie had a tangle with the tape when he was already not feeling great and Freddie found the change from warm Croatia the day before to a cold morning in a field in England hard.
The placings of our 25! riders were:
U10 race 57 in race
U8 girls
Tes Bignell 1st (32), Jaya Martingale 4th (51)
U8 boys
Harry Banks 10th (46), Freddie Kelsall-Joel 17th (57)
U10 girls
Skye Martingale 6th (21), Ella Ridgment 9th (29), Marit Davidse 11th (34), Alisha Kirk 14th (47)
U10 boys
Jo Bignell 5th (5), Finlay Banks 10th (13), Samuel White 11th (19), Lucas Mills 18th (33), Benji Pike 19th (35)
U12 race 50 in race
U12 girls
Izzy Hall 3rd (10th) , Olivia Allman 5th (14), Ruby Flavell 14th (42)
U12 boys
George Connell 2nd (2), Samuel Ridgment 8th (11), Monty Flavell 13th (20), Jonathan Lowe 19th (29), Sid Kelsall-Joel 28th (40), George White 29th (43), Charlie Shepherd DNF
U16 race
U14 boys
Louis kirk 10th (23), Max Darnton 13th (27)
Report: Round 6 Wessex Cyclocross League, Sotonia
We couldn't have asked for a better day on Sunday, wall to wall sunshine and great racing to behold. Firstly, many thanks to the guys & girls that helped in some way on the day. Without you these events don't happen, thank you very much. Secondly to those little legs that push the pedals round.
What a great day it was for the Sotonia Youth riders. A total of 30 of our riders were at the start and the sea of Orange was impressive to see.
Maybe the best thing about the day was the number of first time riders who picked up the courage to start in a race. Our regular riders have long forgotten the day they were first at the start line but our new riders made a great step in a hopefully long journey in cycling.
The placings of our riders were:
U10 race - 65 in race
U8 girls
Tes Bignell 2nd, Tilly Wilks 3rd, Jaya Martingale 6th, Eve Carline 8th
U8 boys
Harry Banks 11th, Lorenzo Scarponi 17th , Giulio Scarponi 18th
U10 Girls
Skye Martingale 5th, Ella Ridgment 8th, Marit Davidse 10th, Poppy Carline 11th, Alisha Kirk 12th, Eva Mar-Moliner 13th, Hannah Olney 14th
U10 Boys
Tom Wilks 7th, Joseph Bignell 9th, Finlay Banks 14th, Samuel White 15th, Benji Pike 18th, Lucas Mills 19th
U12 race - 46 in race
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 5th, Olivia Allman 8th, Emma Harrison 10th
U12 Boys
George Connell 3rd, Samuel Ridgment 7th, Jonathan Lowe 16th, Charlie Shepherd 20th, George White 26th
U14/U16 Race - 56 in race
Max Darnton 9th (22), Louis Kirk 19th (40)
Report: Round 5 Wessex Cyclocross League, Fareham
If the Sotonia Youth riders and support crew thought the Basingstoke race was a wet affair than last weekend's Droxford race surpassed even that!
It is the wet and muddy races that often give the best stories and the Droxford race provided many of those. There were many rider stories but the two images that maybe stood out most were Angela Bignell sprinting up the hill and screaming Tes to a 1st place and Jo to a very solid 7th place and Benji and his dad soaking up the atmosphere of their first race and smiling all morning whilst standing in a wet and muddy field in the middle of nowhere. Welcome to the sect of the Wessex CX league!
On the rider front Ella Ridgment had a bad crash on lap 1 of the U10 race and her friend Marit stopped to help only for her to then crash when her foot slipped off the pedal in the sprint for the line. Both riders are ok and new pedals are on order!
Tom Wilks had a great race once again and as a very young U10 rode to a good 10th place.
In the U12 race Izzy made it onto the podium which given that this is her 1st year in the U12s is a great result. Olivia and Emma showed the depth of the Sotonia coaching group as they occupied placed 4 and 5 in the U12 girls race.
The U16 race is always a big step up for riders because of the longer distance but also because of the amount of talented riders in the race. Max, Louis and Lucy all had solid results and are a great example for the younger Sotonia riders!
The placing of our youth riders are:
U10 Race 52 riders
U8 Girls
Tes Bignell 1st (36), Tilly Wilks 3rd (43), Jaya Martingale 4th (45)
U10 Girls
Skya Martingale 11th (32), Marit Davidse 13th (39), Ella Ridgment 15th (46)
U10 Boys
Stanley Phillips 5th (5), Jo Bignell 7th (8), Tom Wilks 10th (16), Samuel White 14th (23), Benjamin Pike 19th (37)
U12 Race 37 riders
U12 Girls
Izzy Hall 2nd (14), Olivia Allman 4th (20), Emma Harrison 5th (27)
U12 Boys
George Connell 5th (5), Samuel Ridgment 7th (7), Charlie Shepherd 17th (21), George White 23rd (29)
U16 race 52 riders
U14 Girls
Lucy Phillips 6th (37)
U14 Boys
Max Darnton 11th (30), Louis Kirk 12th (36)
Report: Round 4 Wessex Cyclocross League, Oxford
Another great days racing up in Oxfordshire at Standlake moto-cross stadium. Those that braved the idea of a cold autumn morning were rewarded with bright sunshine and short and T-shirts seemed to be the order of the day for most racers. We had some great performances too...
U8 Girls
Matilda wilks had a great race, making up some good time in the second half to over come Flo Jones to take a well deserved 2nd place on the podium. Those sweets are worth racing hard for ;-) Jaya coming in 5th with that usual smiling face. Well done girls.
U10 Girls
After the coaching upset of losing a pedal there was no such problems for Skye on Sunday as she rode to a podium 3rd place.
U10 Boys
A great race for our newcomer Stanley Phillips with a well earned 1st place a first for Sotonia Youth. There was a right battle for 6th to 9th place with all the action taking place on the bump on the finish straight with Tom getting past Finley to finish 7th & 9th respectively.
U12 Girls
Only Emma this week flying the Sotonia colours and finishing 9th with some consistent lap times
U12 Boys
Another first for Sotonia with George Connell working hard from a poor start to finish on the podium in 3rd, his fellow team mate Charlie finishing well in 18th in his first season in the U12's.
U14 Girls
And yet another first for Sotonia with Lucy Phillips finishing on the podium in a well deserved 2nd place.
Well done everyone who made the trip and a big thank you to Stephen Shepherd for taking on the role of race day co-coordinator.
Report: Round 3 Wessex Cyclocross League, Reading
After last week's very wet race in Basingstoke those that made the trip to Reading were rewarded with a beautiful autumn day in Prospect park. The 19 Sotonia youth riders that lined up at the start were well fed by the excellent cakes from Natalie Harrison. The commissaires in the U10 race got their number of laps slightly wrong and as a result some of our U10 riders had 15 minutes or even more to enjoy one of the best courses on the calendar.
As always the racing provided many stories either generated by the course or by little battles between riders. All our riders should be proud to be part of all these stories as they make for a great day out for everyone. Example stories are Tes getting a medal round her neck, Skye having to get used to a new bike, Monty and Charlie having an exciting battle in the U12 and everyone having to learn to push on the downhills as well! The U16/U14 race was won by the British U16 girls Champion and the coaches - well me - were in awe with the way she was gliding round the course.
At the end of all this the "cold" facts of placings are:
U10 race - 56 in race
U8 girls: Tes Bignell 2nd (42), Jaya Martingale 5th (51)
U10 girls: Ella Ridgment 9th (31), Skye Martingale 10th (32), Marit Davidse 12th (38), Alisha Kirk 13th (49)
U10 Boys: Joseph Bignell 8th (11), Finlay Banks 13th (17),
U12 race - 49 in race
U12 girls: Izzy Hall 4th (18), Olivia Allman 6th (23), Emma Harrison 11th (37), Ruby Flavell 13th (41)
U12 boys: George Connell 4th (4), Samuel Ridgment 9th (10), Monty Flavell 16th (21), Charlie Shepherd 17th (22), George White 26th (35)
U14/U16 race - 68 in race
U14 Boys: Louis Kirk 17th (42) , Max Darnton 18th (44)
Report: Round 2 Wessex Cyclocross league, Basingstoke
A total of 16 Sotonia youth riders braved the wet and windy conditions and rode up the M3 to Basingstoke. Whilst their school friends avoided the early autumn storms in front of the television or on tablets our riders tanked up on grit, determination, guts and perseverance.
If any riders are disappointed about their position then do not forget that the horrible rain and wind meant there were no tourists in the race. Only the regular and skilled Wessex CX riders turned up. A special mention here to Tes and Jo Bignell who showed even greater toughness by racing in summer short and top. Tes chased her friends Ella and Marit all the way and her reward was a 1st place in the U8 girls. George Connell showed everyone what he can do without a mechanical issue and just missed out on the podium in the U12 boys. In the U12 girls race it looks like Olivia and Izzy will be having a good battle all season. Emma and Charlie are finding their place in the U12 field where racing gets a bit more serious.
The placings of all Sotonia riders were:
U10 race 46 riders
U8 girls: Tes Bignell 1st (37), Tilly Wilks 2nd (40), Jaya Martingale 4th (42)
U10 girls: Skye Martingale 7th (30), Ella Ridgment 9th (33), Marit Davidse 10th (34)
U10 boys: Thomas Wilks 8th (12), Joseph Bignell 10th (14), Finlay Banks 17th (26), Samuel White 19th (32)
U12 race 37 riders
U12 girls: Olivia Allman 3rd (15), Izzy Hall 4th (16), Emma Harrison 8th (32)
U12 boys: George Connell 4th (4), Samuel Ridgment 10th (10), Charlie Shepherd 14th (18)
New cyclocross season off and running at Newbury
The Wessex Cyclocross got underway at a new venue - Newbury Race course last weekend and was a great introduction to the 2018/2019 season. Sunny skies, not too far up the A34 and an "easy" grassland course to stretch the legs. The organisers forgot to mow the grass before the race so our riders had to keep pushing those pedals as there was no coasting! Two short hurdles provided a good skill test and the Sotonia coaches kept an eagle eyed watch on the dismounting and mountain technique used. A number of highlights were a podium for Tilly in the U8, Alisha making a return to racing, Izzy pushing the older U12s hard, Samuel giving his all and collapsing at the finish of the U12, George C charging through the U12 field after a dropped chain. Louis pushed Max in the U14 as they worked together to get away from rivals before the coaches and parents got their chance to race each other!
A total of 18 Sotonia riders made their way to the new venue and their placings were:
U8 Girls
Tilly Wilks 2nd (41), Jaya Martingale 4th (50)
U10 Girls
Skye Martingale 4th (22), Ella Ridgment 7th (29), Marit Davidse 10th (34), Alisha Kirk 13th (44)
U10 Boys
Finlay Banks 13th (17), Tom Wilks 14th (18), Sam White 15th (19)
U12 Girls
Olivia Allman 5th (24), Izzy Hall 6th (26), Emma Harrison 12th (45)
U12 Boys
Samuel Ridgment 10th (10), George Connell 15th (16), Charlie Shepherd 22nd (28), George White 31st (41)
U14 Boys
Max Darnton 20th (38), Louis Kirk 21st (39)
Great riding everyone!