Ian Field (Hargroves Cycles) and Adela Carter (Hope Factory Racing) secured victory in the second round of the British Cycling National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Series at Southampton Sports Centre on Sunday.
Elite men
Ian Field (Hargroves Cycles) made it two out of two in the 2014-15 British Cycling National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Series at the Southampton Sports Centre on Sunday.
Field held off the Belgian Under-23 duo of Quinten Hermans and Jens Vandekinderen, team-mates at Telenet Fidea Cycling Team, while Steve James (Hargroves Cycles) took fourth ahead of Pedal Heaven’s Alex Paton.
Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) was not riding at Southampton after injuring his knee in the Rapha Supercross at Alexandra Palace, and Liam Killeen was also not riding.
Jody Crawforth (Hargroves Cycles) got a bad start, hitting the floor off the front row and falling back, and struggled to claw his way back throughout the race.
The fast men hit the front and strung the race out for the first couple of laps, but once they had settled in on lap two Hermans and Field were setting the pace with Alex Paton (Pedal Heaven) at the front of the chasers.
Vandekinderen was pushing hard to escape the chasing bunch, and coming past the pits he made a move on Paton to go third.
Steve James and Jack Clarkson were wheel to wheel, half a pit length back from Vandekinderen, while Crawforth had fought back into the top ten having battled from the very back of the field.
With four laps to go Steve James attacked and dropped Clarkson, and was sitting comfortably in fourth. Then on the next lap Steven Roach attacked Nick Craig with three laps to go and he got on the back of the chase group as a result.
Meanwhile, Paton had a dig and attacked Crawforth in sixth spot on the penultimate lap.
At the bell the first three were comfortable in their positions, and Hermans got a small gap which was responded to by an alert Ian Field who had been dictating the pace.
As the leaders came off the hurdles Hermans got a gap, but again Field brought him back after quarter of a lap, and on the descent before the last right hand corner he got the lead back just at the crucial point.
“I’m really happy with that,” said Field. “I thought it was going to be one of those days where it was two against one but fair play to Hermans, he worked with me and pretty much shared the workload.
“He had a dig going into the woods and I just hung on. It was going to be a fight for the final bit, it’s not really a sprint finish here. I’ve ridden here a few years and I know the first man into that final bit of road wins so I just had to get in.
“After the planks he just stretched it but there was a headwind and it’s always easier to get on a wheel than drop someone.
“To be honest, once he hadn’t got away on the only real hard bit and he had the opportunity to go up, I followed and thought I would just sit on his wheel and chance it, diving into the final corner.
“It’s nice to get back on track after having a sickness bug for the World Cup but that’s behind me now and I can move on and ride how I know I can ride.”
Elite women
Hope Factory Racing celebrated another victory in the British Cycling National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Series, but this time it was Adela Carter who won the women’s race at round two.
The 32-year-old Sheffield-based rider finished sixth in the opening round at Shrewsbury two weeks ago, but stepped up several gears to take the win at Southampton Sports Centre from Merce Pacios Pujado (Beeline Bicycles), while junior Amira Mellor (Paul Milnes RT) was third.
Diane Lee (Team Mulebar Girl) led out from the start and a group of seven formed, including Hannah Payton (Kinesis Morvelo Project) who’s back from Belgium, Carter, Annie Simpson (Hope Factory Racing), Mellor and Pujado. Sarah Murray (CXMagazine.com) was in the mix early on but she dropped off as the pace proved too much.
Pujado and Carter proved strongest and jumped away with a third of the race gone, while Simpson climbed off with three laps to go, suffering the effects of riding the Rapha Supercross at Alexandra Palace the previous day.
With three laps to go the leading duo attacked again as they came out of the wooded area and headed towards the pits. Payton looked to be struggling and was alongside Diane Lee, while Tamina Oliver (Cotswold Veldrijden) was pushing hard.
At the bell nothing could separate the leading two, while Mellor was now up with Diane Lee as she headed for an eventual third place.
As she hurtled round the final lap Carter attacked Pujado just before the pits on the final lap on a fast descent, and held her lead to the line to win by six seconds.
Heading into round three at Durham there are three riders all on 60 points, but Carter will wear the yellow jersey of Series leader as the winner of round two.
“It’s a really big surprise to win,” said Carter afterwards. “I haven’t been feeling too good and had a slow start to the season with a lot of work and not a lot of training. I suppose the phrase is, I was fresh!
“I tend to be able to start quite well because I’m small so I can accelerate. I missed last year but the previous two years I came second here, and I’ve learned that you can’t overtake on the descent into the finish and it’s difficult to win from there so you need to be ahead before the final rise up to the pits.”
Other categories
Alfie Moses (Paul Milnes RT) took the win in the junior men’s category, but had to fight back from a fall to take victory.
The race set off at a fast pace, and Moses was in the lead as they headed into the woods for the first time.
But as the leading riders exited the trees Moses was at the back following a fall. After the race settled down a group of six riders established themselves at the front - David Barnes (Sports Traider), Moses, Joshua Waters (Sherwood Pines), Ewan Grivell-Mellor (Mid-Shropshire Wheelers), Matthew Worton Pioneer-Scott Synchros) and Tom Seaman (Nutcracker Racing).
But it wasn't long before Barnes and Moses broke away from the lead group. Barnes had been riding on the front with Moses looking happy to follow, and despite his best efforts Barnes couldn't shake off the series leader.
With just over three laps remaining Moses managed to gap Barnes in the woods and as he passed the pits Barnes was looking around, perhaps looking to consolidate second place rather than chase the leader.
From there on Moses seemed relaxed and comfortable in the lead and never looked like he was going to give up his 30 second advantage, and there was a similar gap to third-placed Tom Seaman who also seemed to have his place on the podium sewn up.
Afterwards, Moses said: “I came off coming out of the woods. I jumped up again but had dropped back to about third or fourth. Me and David went round together for a couple of laps taking it in turns. I had a bit of a gap after the woods. I realised I had a gap and thought ‘let’s do it, full gas’ and that was it!”
Veteran
Coventry’s Darren Atkins secured his fifth Southampton win in as many years to claim back the series lead from Ian Taylor in the over-40 veteran race. Atkins, by his own admission needed a good ride to make amends for a poor outing in the previous round at Shrewsbury and looked again to be ready for a fight.
A brisk start soon had the field lined out with the main two title contenders heading up proceedings with a small group including Chris Rathbone, Mike Simpson and Dan Alexander in close contact.
Atkins and Taylor were soon into their stride and making a useful gap that was never really troubled all race. Crispin Doyle had found his rhythm and was up to third place, keeping a steady gap between the leaders and the chasing group of Alexander, Simpson and Tim Davies but barring any incident the win would be decided between the two leaders.
And whilst the lead swapped between the two on the final lap it was Atkins who had the final kick on the finish straight to take the win from Taylor by a slender four seconds.
Chris Young took a fine victory in the 50-plus veteran race, the Pedalsport rider claiming the victory from Hargroves’ Steve Davies in close-fought battle that almost went to the line.
A quick start by Phil Roach and Dave McMullen soon set the nature of the race and it would be the fast men that dominated the final outcome. Both Young and Davies weren’t prominent during the opening laps but soon had worked their way to the head of race and settled in to a fast pace, the returning Tim Gould was building on his Shrewsbury outing and was looking happy in third place.
Roach had settled into his stride and was chasing back to Gould but with the laps tumbling Gould had done enough early on the claim the third step of the podium. The two leaders took the race to the final bend, Young just getting the better of Davies to ride the final few metres alone, taking the win by a mere three seconds.
Madeline Smith took a fine victory from Tracey Fletcher in the veteran women race to keep her series challenge alive. A tight race saw the Bolster rider cross the line just five seconds ahead of the current leader. Marie Jackson remains third overall but with Alison Kinloch finishing third there is a slender three points separating the two.
Youth
Derwentside’s Tom Mein took the win and the series leaders jersey in the under-16 boys race, with the previous round’s winner Dan Tullett now on the Olympic Development Programme the door was open for a new leader and Mein rose to the challenge, holding off Cameron Orr in a wheel-to-wheel race-long battle which saw a three second gap between the two on the finish line. Ben Turner completed the podium.
The battle for the under-16 girls race was between Lucy Horrocks and Maddie Gammons, the two youngsters riding away on the opening lap. Gammons, after not having the best time at Shrewsbury, made amends with a fine win, riding way from Horrocks on the final lap to claim the victory and take move into fourth overall, Horrocks retaining the blue jersey.
Ben Tulett took his second victory of the series with a dominant performance in the under-14 boys race, although there was a strong challenge by second place Lewis Askey, there no answer to the first attack by Tulett. Harry Birchill took the final step of the podium.
Poppy Widman took the victory in the under-14s race to extend her series lead over Elena Smith. The Nottingham Clarion rider proved too strong for the chasers and eased to a lone victory. Smith finished second and Nicole Clarke took third.
Full results (with lap splits)
Overall points (after two rounds)
