2009 Eastern Region Road Race Championships
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
Report & images by Mark Cozens (www.mphotography.co.uk)
“Well happy” and “chuffed” were the initial reactions from the 2009 Eastern Region Road Race Champion Joe Skipper (BMC UK RT) after today’s marathon 156km jaunt around an undulating 27km course to the east of Saffron Walden, Essex. Adding to the test for the riders were the heat, with several riders wishing they had had the opportunity to take on more fluid over the course of the race, and the wind due to the exposed nature of the course.
Joe Skipper (BMC UK RT) wins his regions road race championship after nearly 100 miles in the heat
Two riders decided to make a break from the off, Duncan Urquhart (Endura Racing) and Ben Thompson (BMC UK RT). Such an early break had not been planned by Urquhart, but he did not want to see BMC riders disappearing up the road due to their numerical strength. With the bunch seemingly content to let them go and working well together, they had a lead of half a minute halfway around the first lap, eventually reaching 1 minute 40 seconds midway through the race.
This break was to last some 120km before the wind took its toll and a select group of seven riders, including Skipper and four BMC UK team-mates, along with Dominic Schils (Lotto Olympia Interbike) and Andrew Hastings (Finchley RT), joined them midway through the penultimate lap.
After taking the bell together, this group then spent the final lap attacking one another in a bid to get away, but to no avail meaning that as the uphill finish came into sight all were set for a sprint. Nervous about leaving it to a sprint as he was not 100% sure of how his legs would react, Skipper had no problem leading from the front, with Schils second and Urquhart pipping Hastings on the line for third. James Whatling soloed in shortly afterwards, having been tailed off the group for 8th, and Staite and Kogen completed the top ten.
Starters: 53
Podium, Schils, Skipper & Urquhart
Eastern Region
1. Joe Skipper BMC UK RT
2. Dominic Schils Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
3. Duncan Urquhart Endura Racing
4. Andrew Hastings Finchley Racing Team
5. Ben Thompson BMC UK Racing Team
6. Andy Lyons BMC UK Racing Team
7. Dean Shannon BMC UK Racing Team
8. James Whatling BMC UK Racing Team
9. Dan Staite Python Racing Team
10. Daniel Kogan BMC UK Racing Team
11. Benjamin Price BC Private Member
12. Ian Franklin BMC UK Racing Team
13. Vince Divine Finchley Racing Team
14. Digby Symons Cambridge CC
15. William Hedden Glade CC
16. Graham Galvin East London Velo
17. Sean Kilroy Glade CC
18. Paul Fielding St Ives CC
19. Nathan Miller Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
20. Mark Porter Glade CC
21. Basil Moss Cambridge CC
22. Hugo Hocknell VC Revolution
23. David Miller API - Metrow
24. Richard Da Silva Stevenage CC
25. Tristan Emptage North Road CC
26. Glen Vinnicome Cambridge CC
27. Mark Howard Shaftesbury CC
28. Steven Charles BMC UK Racing Team
29. Philip Lisher Team Welwyn
30. Tim Williams Cambridge CC
31. David Brown Essex Roads CC
32. Ian Samuel Crest CC - Ilford
33. Stephen Saunders API - Metrow
34. Benjamin Brown Whitewebbs CC
35. Tony Couchman Glade CC
36. Daryl Gannon Finchley Racing Team
37. James Wylie Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
38. Carmelo Luggeri CC Ashwell
39. Simon Layfield Team Welwyn
40. Jeff Robinson North Road CC
Photos
Field entering the circuit from the neutralised roll out
Halfway around the first lap and the Thompson (front) / Urquhart break had already formed
The bunch follows some half a minute later with Joe Skipper on the front
Leaders in the countryside on lap 2
Urquhart leading Thompson
The shape of the race behind the leaders
Dominic Schils mid race
Thompson leading Urquhart
Chasing bunch
Joe Skipper (far left ) mid pack mid race
BMC UK RT in chase mode
Joe Skipper collecting a bottle
Urquhart now caught leads the front group into the final lap
Three chasers trying unsuccessfully to get across
The sprint
Winner with Gold medal.