British Cycling

NEWS FOR JUNE 2003

Solihull CC's Peter Buckley Road Race

Plans for the Solihull Cycling Club Peter Buckley Road Race, to be held on Sunday 7th September, are well developed.

The race promises to be a great round in the overall series, taking place on the undulating Bearley circuit near Stratford upon Avon. The course does not feature any major climbs, which will come as a good balance for the series which features some very demanding courses, but it will nevertheless challenge the participants. Most events on the circuit see a "wearing down" process with continual drags on "heavy" roads coupled with the quiet lanes and hedgerows offering a small break the chance to stay away and win. We expect an "all rounder" to win from a break that will clip off the front of a depleted bunch with 8 - 10 miles to go.

The race has attracted excellent main sponsorship from Twenty-Four Seven, the Wrexham based recruitment company (www.24-7recruitment.net), with offices throughout UK, with supporting sponsorship from Exel, the multinational logistics company (www.exel.com). Phil Williams - Director of Twenty-Four Seven commented "It is great to be able to invest in the future of British cycling, as without the juniors, there would be no future in British sport. We are looking forward to seeing the British riders "take the race" to the overseas competitors and showing us what they are made of. Let's hope it is a great race!"

This sponsorship has meant that two foreign teams have been invited, with provisional acceptances from the Hessen Cycling Federation in Germany and the Irish Cycling Federation. Both Federations are hoping to strengthen their links with British junior cycling and of course have a great track record in promoting with the Frankfurt Junior Tour and the many Irish events each year.

There is a healthy prize list and although entries are still to be received we expect a fierce contest between such riders as Tim Wallis (Solihull CC) riding his club's own race and obviously keen to win on his home patch, with Matt Brammeier (Life Repair CRT-Litespeed), Geraint Thomas (Cardiff Just In Front - Cyclopaedia) and Daniel Martin (CC Giro) likely to be particularly well motivated for the win. Sponsor Phil Williams has admitted that he will be rooting for Richard Bowen of Liverpool Century, currently lying 7th overall in the series and riding very strongly this season. All of these riders are in form at the moment and there are many others who can make life difficult as well.

It promises to be a great race so if you are a junior rider, put the date in your diary and get your entries off early. It is the Solihull CC Peter Buckley Race sponsored by Twenty-Four Seven Recruitment Services on Sunday 7th September!