27th Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Layer Breton Circuit, 143 Kilometres (38.1418 kph)

Report and pictures from Mark Cozens

A dry, bright but very blustery morning greeted the 80 rider field that took to the start of today’s Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race. The race was run on an undulating and very exposed course just outside Colchester crossing the Abberton Reservoir on two occasions.

The bunch was active from the off, with Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven) the first to take off and gain a decent gap before returning to the group as Yanto Barker (Le Col-Colnago) and  Will Bjergfelt (Sport Beans – Wilier) set off on a break that was to last half the race.

Right: A win for James Millard in the classic Jock Wadley

As these two tired, a small group containing James Millard (Plowman Craven), Simon Gaywood (Team Corley Cycles) and Ben Luckwell (Sport Beans – Wilier) joined up with them. This splintered, with Millard, Gaywood, Luckwell and Jack Kirk (Wye Forest CRC) forming the head of the race, with riders in ones and twos behind trying to get back on the pace.

Millard attacked on the final climb some few hundred metres before the finish to record a fine solo win. The sprint for second was fought out by the remnants of the group, with Gaywood coming out on top ahead of Barker who had managed to bridge across on the final lap.

No Fairytale Ending for Sport Beans/Wilier Team

Source: Clive Richardson: Team Sport Beans UK

The classic early-season Essex race, the Jock Wadley Memorial, nearly had a fairytale ending for Sport Beans - Wilier's Ben Luckwell. As a young 21-yr-old with a glittering International career still ahead of him, he scored one of his first major wins for his then team, Team Zoyland. Fast forward 21 years, and Ben headed up a super-strong six-man Sport Beans - Wilier squad for the race deep in rural Essex on a bright, windy day. The Wadley is a mix of flat and rolling roads, taking in a crossing of the Abberton Reservoir twice every lap. Even on a slightly windy day, conditions are tough here - but today, the wind blew good and hard. A day of echelons and fragmentation lay ahead of the expectant field.

Team Sport Beans - Wilier head the race as it departs the neutralised zone.

First out of the blocks was Plowman Craven/Madison's Tony Gibb, pursued by Sport Beans own Richard Wilkinson. They quickly established a lead of around a minute which they held for the first three of thirteen laps. No sooner had they been brought back, than former professional Yanto Barker (Le Col/Colnago) and Sport Beans - Wilier's Will Bjergfelt zipped off the front. Again, a solid lead of around a minute was quickly established and drifted up to nearly two minutes.

The pair worked well together in the tough conditions and with the rest of the Sport Beans - Wilier squad policing things behind, they stayed away for a good two thirds of the race. Each time through the finish, the pair appeared, sharing the workload, with seemingly a different combination of splintered groups following behind, each with at least one Sport Beans rider in attendance. On a less windy day, their epic break could well have succeeded, but the gusty conditions took their toll and they were finally reeled in. 

A four man group were next to chance their arm, this time containing James Millard (Plowman Craven/Madison), Simon Gaywood (Team Corley Cycles), Jack Kirk (Wyre Forest) and Sport Beans - Wilier's Ben Luckwell. A few of the older spectators saw the significance of Ben's presence in the break - looking in their race manuals which showed a list of previous winners, their suspicions were confirmed - Ben had won this event a mere 21 years earlier! How amazing would it be if he could repeat his victory from all those years ago?

Will Bjergfelt (right) and former professional, Yanto Barker in the break of the day

There were now just three laps to go, around 22 miles. Once again, as the field came through the finish behind them, different faces formed different chasing groups every time - it was carnage out there. First time through, Billy-Joe Whenman was in a three-man group with Yanto Barker and another rider, followed by dribs and drabs. Next time through, Marcin and Will had escaped alone and were performing a two-man team time trial par excellence, riding out of their skins to get up to the sharp end. Mark Perry and Grant Bayton were back in the fourth group with the bunch still behind them!

With one lap to go, it looked like a very exciting finish was in store - if Will and Marcin could get up to Billy's group, they would work together to join Ben's group. We would then have four riders out of nine in the new lead group - very good odds indeed! However, Millard had other ideas and was determined to rain on Sport Beans - Wilier's parade.

He attacked on the hill on the run-in to the finish to come home a fine winner, gaining revenge for Marcin's win over him the previous week at the Severn Bridge Road Race. Just behind, Marcin had joined the party just a little too late and with barely time to recover at all, sprinted to 4th place against Barker, Kirk and Gaywood. Billy came in behind, soon joined by a disappointed Luckwell, then Grant and a totally spent Will, who after his earlier efforts up the road with Barker, had buried himself to get Marcin up into contention.

All in all, a fine ride by the whole Sport Beans - Wilier squad, with five guys placed in the top ten. You can't win 'em all!

Tony Gibb making his early lone break

The bunch in the early stages

Plowman Craven on the attack across the reservoir

Millard leads the group closing in on Bjergfelt and Barker

Millard having a go late on.....

...but countered immediately by Luckwell

Kirk (right), Millard, Gaywood and Luckwell at the head of the race

Leaders take the bell

Sprint for 2nd won by Simon Gaywood

Millard being presented with the 2009 trophy by organiser Malcolm Hargreaves

RESULT    
1. James Millard Plowman Craven/Madison 3-44-57
2. Simon Gaywood Team Corley Cycles 11"
3. Yanto Barker Le Col/Colnago S.T.
4. Marcin Bialoblocki Sports Beans/Wilier S.T.
5. Jack Kirk Wyre Forest S.T.
6. Billy Joe Whenman Sports Beans/Wilier 19"
7. Ben Luckwell Sports Beans/Wilier 41"
8. Jon Tiernan-Locke Plowman Craven/Madison 1'46"
9. Grant Bayton Sports Beans/Wilier S.T.
10. Will Bjergfelt Sports Beans/Wilier S.T.
11. Jason White Bc Pm Eastern S.T.
12. Daniel Kogan Bmc Uk Racing Team 3-06"
13. Chris Macnamara Team Corley Cycles 3-14"
14. Andy Lyons Bmc Uk Racing Team S.T.
15. Daniel Patten Cyclesport.Se Magnus S.T.
16. Matthew Higgins Team Corley Cycles S.T.
17. Alexander King Twickenham Cc S.T.
18. Roy Chamberlain Team Corley Cycles S.T.
19. George Atkins Webster Cycles 5-06"
20. Richard Cartland Team Corley Cycles S.T.
21. Ben Thompson Bmc Uk Racing Team 6-09"
22. Joe Skipper Bmc Uk Racing Team S.T.
23. Waynes Coombes Vc Montpellier S.T.
24. Mike Wragg Team Milton Keynes S.T.
25. Justin Hoy Felt Racing S.T.
26. Martin Smith Aw Cycles Co.Uk/Giant S.T.
27. Chris Spence Caesarean Cc S.T.
28. Dominic Schils Lotto Olympia Team/Interbike Rt S.T.
29. Jason Edwards Wildside Rt/Ewhurst Control S.T.
30. Andrew Hastings Finchley Rt S.T.
31. Samuel Parker Geoff Thomas Foundation S.T.
32. Kevin Knox Dulwich Paragon S.T.
33. Simon Macnamara Wildside Rt/Ewhurst Control S.T.
34. Oliver Davies Dinnington Rc S.T.
34. Warren Jesse Felt Racing S.T.
34. Flavio Zappi Geoff Thomas Foundation S.T.
34. Sean Kilroy Glade Cc/Ciclos Uno S.T.
34. Adam Cotterell Ingear Dev Squad S.T.
34. Steven Saunders Kingston Wheelers S.T.
34. Stephen Skuse Bc Pm South East S.T.
34. Ben Wilson Solihull Cc S.T.
34. Mark Perry Sports Beans/Wilier S.T.
34. Tom Kirk Team Corley Cycles S.T.
34. Dave Coulson Team Sabath/Clayton S.T.
45. Ian Franklin Bmc Uk Racing Team 8-00"