Trigon Bikes West Midland League Round 12

 

Date: 3 Feb 2008Litchfield
Images: Richard Preece & Andy Whitehouse

Link: Results on WMCCL Website

The Youth race gets underway

 

The final round of the West Midlands CX League saw the riders visiting Lichfield. A fairly short lap with some exposed sections meant the competitors faced the biting cold winds. Some parts of the course offered shelter but the mud on many uphill sections led to riders dismounting their bikes, breaking their rhythm and inducing fatigue.

Under-12 riders in action

From the start Ben Roach and Darren Atkins pulled away from the rest of the field and riding so closely together they seemed to spur each other on. Series leader Steve Knight was also away from the main group but working by himself was offered little shelter on the windy back straight. Knight eventually managed to reduce the gap to the two leaders and soon Atkins was riding away from Roach.

Darren Atkins continued to ride strongly and took the win with Knight making it up to second place. The combination of a muddy course and cold conditions made for a tough finale to the series.

The 2007-08 series has been a huge success and congratulations must go to all the riders who competed over the winter months. At times conditions have been awful but the motivation and tenacity shown throughout the series by both the riders and organisers have been superb.