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.