Nick Clark Memorial RR &

Ginger Smallwood Memorial RR

 

11th of June, 2006; Cheddington (Buckinghamshire)

report & photos by Larry Hickmott

 

 

Who's a happy boy then! Freddy Johannsen of Sweden, riding for PCA, holds off the rest of the break to win the Nick Clark Memorial Road Race.

 

PHOTO GALLERIES: Click the buttons at the top of the page (Gallery 1, Gallery 2, etc)  to view one of the three galleries available.

 

 

Promoted by Des Gayler and the Kenton Road Club, these two races were held at the same time, ten minutes apart, on a ten mile circuit which took in the villages of Mentmore and Wingrave. First off was the Elite race and within a mile of it starting, the field was starting to split as the Team Milton Keynes riders went on the attack. It was the same in the 3rd and 4ths race, which started 10 minutes later. A break of three with the everygreen Ron Hewes was already away and not a mile had passed by.

Whilst the Elite race came together, the 3/4 event saw the break gain a rider or two and five riders were able to forge clear of the pack. The bunch took their time reeling them in but after a good spell of freedom for the break, they were brought back with two laps to go. This was the signal for Richard Preeble to make his move and he well and truly cleared off on his own and that was the last the rest of the 3/4 field would see of him until after the finish a few laps later.

Whilst Preeble was able to freewheel across the line arms aloft, the fight for second place was a rather torrid affair as David McGaw was second and a sign on the line rider in third.

 

 

Above: Ginger Smallwood Memorial RR -- Third placed rider from the Archer and the bunch fighting for the minor placings.

In the Elite race, after it stayed together for a couple of laps early on, a break of two, Karl Freeman and Malcolm Elliot, were soon able to go clear near Wingrave whilst the bunch behind appeared to be pretty nonchalant about the escapees. After a few laps on their own, the Elliot/Freeman break was soon joined by other riders, brought back and it wasn't long before the race winning break formed.

The gap between break and bunch, lap by lap, opened up quickly and at the finish they had over 2 minutes on the bunch. Winner, his first this year and on British soil, was 20 year old Swedish rider Freddy Johannsen for PCA. He had attacked around 500 metres to go and held on, just, to make up for a similar move the week before when at Brentwood he was caught in sight of the line.

Speaking to British Cycling afterwards, the happy go lucky PCA rider "I was really happy to win that. I knew I wasn't the strongest guy in the group and I tried to play my cards really smart otherwise I could never have won. I attacked them just before the final corner and held it so it was nice." Talking about the moment the break formed, he explained "I was in the group with Malcolm and we got caught. Then after 5 or 6k, two guys got away and I chased them down and sat in the wheels. Then the other guys got across and we started to work."

 

My thanks to Tom Newman (photo finish) for the results. One interesting thing to note as the results were sorted out, was that a small number of riders had their numbers on the opposite side to the photo finish camera or in the middle of their back and they just were not visible on the photo finish pictures. Those closest to the camera who did have the number in the middle, wer elucky in that the height of the camera managed to record it but for a few, no number means no position. It may not be a hard and fast rule but most photo finish cameras I have seen have been on the left side of the road as you approach the finish so take not of that if you want to be placed.

 

 

Elite race -- The race has only been going for a mile and already the attacks are coming thick and fast.

 

 

Elite race -- Karl Freeman and Malcolm Elliott at the start of their two laps of freedom.

 

 

Elite race -- The bunch closing in on Elliott and and Freeman.

 

 

Elite race -- Another break lead by a JE James rider.

 

 

Elite race -- The start of a winning move lead by Paul Wilkes. 

 

 

Elite race -- Bunch sprint in the Elite race.

Nick Clark Memorial RR
Elite/1/2 (Strictly provisional)
1. Freddy Johannsen, Plowman Craven, 3.21.57
2. Paul Wilkes, De Rosa @2 secs
3. Grant Bayton, GWR
4. Roy Chamberlain, Team Milton Keynes
5.Danny Axford, Arctic/Shorter-Rochford
6. Nigel Williams, Python RT
7. Neil Linford-Relph, VC Meudon, @13 secs
8. Mark Wordsworth, JE James, @23
9. Dion Black, Red Kite Cycles, 2.22
10. Meurig James, Willsden CC 2.35
11. Payl Tucker, Oxford Uni
12. James Fox, Team Milton Keynes
13. John Tuckett, Oxford University
14. Michael Summers, FVS Tri
15. Gary Fry, team Quest
16. Wesley Cole, Plowman Craven
17. Tom Smith, Plowman Craven
18. William Bunday, RAF CC
19. Nicholas  Jones Team Milton Keynes 03:25:26

20. Joel Stewart, Agiskoviner
21. Joe Andrews, VC ST Raphael
22. Richard Cartland, Team Milton Keynes
23. Richard Wood, Team Milton Keynes
24. Peter Scott, Comedy Super Team
25. Martin Smith, Team Milton Keynes
26. Ed Whitehorne, Glendene CC
27. Mark Jervis, Python RT
28. Simon Gaywood, CC Luton
29. Michael Broadwidth, Arctic Shorter-Rochford
30. Chris Daddy, JE James
31. Chris Bartlett, Glendene CC
32. Craig Butland, Plowman Craven
33. Kristain Downs, Glendene CC
34. Malcolm Elliot, Plowman Craven
35. Guy Powdrill, London Dynamo
36.  76
37. Steve Smith, Python RT
38. Scott Merrilees, Twickenham CC
39. 74
40. Justin Radford, Python RT
41. Breendan Heaslip, Kenton RC
42. Karl Freeman, Team Milton Keynes
43. Mike Wragg, Team Milton Keynes

 

__________________________________________________

 

 

Richard Preeble made light work of the 3/4 race, attacking with two laps to go and pulling away from them the whole time.

Ginger Smallwood Memorial RR
3/4/Women/Juniors
1. Richard Prebble, Pinarello RT
2. David McGaw, Oxford University
3. Dominic Kennedy, Archer RC
4. Spencer Kirkham, Finchley RT
5. Liam Hallam, Mapperley CC
6. Paul Londors, team Milton Keynes
7. David Gayler, Kenton RC
8. Jonthon Machini, Oxford Uni
9. Boris Chambon, Stevenage CC
10. Paul Doel, Team Quest
11. Daniel Santoni, Pearson Cycles 
12. Trevor Burke, North Road CC
13. Kevin Ibbetson, Icknield RC
14. Simon Jackson, High Wycombe
15. Anthony Glenn, Glendene CC
16. Gary Dunne, Coventry RC
17. Stewart Martin, Kingston Wheelers
18. John French, Peterborough,
19. Mark Page, CC Basingstoke
20. Robert West, Oxford City CC
21. Neil Anderson, PM
22. Stav Socratous, Finchley RT
23. David Power, Twickenham CC
24. Nicholas Beale, Didcot Phoenix
25. Max Callow, VC Londres
26. 89
27. Alan Lovegrove, North Road CC
28. 87
29. Nicholas Smith, Peterborough
30. Eddie Adkins, Bournemouth Arrow
31. Ron Hewes, Harlow CC
32. Martin Booth, Cycling Bargains
33. David Palmer, Cycling Bargains 
34. Brian Bingham, Reading CC
35. Rupert Beal, Dodcot Phoenix
36.  Nigel Brooks, Essex Roads
37. Geoff Williams, Python RT
38. Ian Daws, Swindon CC
39. Nigel Smith, Twickenham CC
40. Nigel Wass, Verlum CC
41. Greg Cremmin, Kenton RC
42. James Foster, Willesden
43. Philip Murrel, Finsbury Park
44. Daniel Oakley, Comedy Super Team
45. Mark Thompson, St Ives
46. David Jakeman, Team Sirus
47. Nigel Burns, St Ives
48. Mark Porter, Glendene CC
49. Mark Careless, Angliasport
50. Duncan Bryson, Solihull CC
51. Leigh Smith, North Bucks RC
52. Frank Rawlins, North Bucks Road C
53. Peter Robinson, Team Milton Keynes
54. Luke Brashier, CC Basingstoke
55. Glen O'Brien, CC Luton
56. Ross Sherlock, Oxford University
57. John Buxton, Cycling Bargains
58. David Watkinson, Red Kite Cycles
59. Barry Forde, team Quest.

 

Ron Hewes leads a break of three clear of the bunch in the first mile of the race.

 

 

The break of five as two come up to the original break.

 

 

The break is returned to the fold...

 

 

as the field is strung out with the pace of the chase...

 

 

Others tried to get away but were unsuccessful.

 

 

A North Bucks RC tries to get across to the Finchley riders pictured above.

 

 

More riders having a go whilst Preeble continues to lead the race alone.