A sunny weekend in the UK saw riders take fantastic podiums in the opening round of the National Grass Track Series and the second round of the para-cycling series, while Hattie Harnden, Tracey Moseley, Declan Brooks and Sasha Pardoe stole the show at the enduro and BMX freestyle world cups.
National Para-cycling and Disability Series Round 2
The second round of the National Para-cycling Series saw riders battle under the sun at Odd Down Sports Ground for some blisteringly fast circuit racing.
Christopher Scott took the MC5 win ahead of Mark Valentine, while Zac Rogers came home third. A third place finish in the overall MC4&5 race was enough to secure Josh Betteley the MC4 victory, beating Ben Payne to the line, while Nicholas Fairfield finished third.
Niall Brown secured the victory in the MCD race, while the women’s race saw Louise Dunn take the win ahead of Emma Warner.
In the handbike race, Patrick Asher-Relf won the MHD category, while Ben Whitney was victorious in the MH4 class. Steve Marsh took the win in the MH1-3 race ahead of Mal Rose and James Puttrell.
James Coxon was crowned the winner of the recumbent bike race, finishing ahead of Jonathan Knott and James Hubbard.
The third round takes place over the 8-9 June and doubles up as a national championships in Darley Moor. There’s still time to enter here.
National Grass Track Series Round 1
The first round of the National Grass Track Series kicked off on Sunday in sunny Ashwell, with riders racing at Godschalk Grass Velodrome.
Tom White (SES Racing) took the win in the opening round of the National Short Distance Grass Track League. White sprinted to victory ahead of Martin Smith (Chesterfield Coureurs) and Oliver Hambrey, while Matilda Gurney (University of Nottingham CC) took the women’s victory.
The National Endurance Grass Track League saw riders compete over 8km, with Smith taking his second podium of the weekend with the win. Hambrey also made it on the podium again, going one better to finish second, while Isaac Smith (Chesterfield Coureurs) finished in third.
The omnium races also saw a repeat open podium, with Martin Smith, Hambrey and Isaac Smith again taking the podium places, while Gurney secured the women’s overall win. In the open omnium B races, it was a clean sweep for Cycle Club Ashwell, with James Murphy, Daniel Doncaster and Julian Douillet securing the podium places.
In the age group omniums, George Collins (Schils-Doltcini Racing Team) won the under-16 category, while Theo Wan and Eva Ronayne (Club Cycle Ashwell) took the under-14 wins. Oscar Darton (Cycle Club Ashwell) was victorious in the under-12’s as Mylo Wan took the under-10 win. Cycle Club Ashwell’s Phoebe Wilkenson and Charlier Brazier won the under-8 category.
UCI Enduro World Cup Round 1
The opening round of the 2024 UCI Enduro World Cup got underway in Finale Outdoor Region, with Hattie Harnden and Tracey Moseley taking podium places.
Harden stormed to victory in the women’s field, winning the second and third stages – the latter by over 20 seconds.
Mountain bike legend Moseley took the silver in the e-enduro event, winning the opening stages to put her in contention for a medal. Moseley continued to ride strongly, but settled for silver after a great battle with winner Florencia Espineira.
Read more about Harnden's enduro journey here
UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup, Montpellier
In Montpellier, Declan Brooks and Sasha Pardoe took brilliant bronze medals in the elite freestyle park finals.
The elite men’s final featured four great British performances, with Brooks earning a well-deserved bronze medal. Narrowly missing out on the podium was Reef Way in fourth, with Ash Finlay placing ninth and Shaun Gornall 12th.
Pardoe also rode a solid competition to grab her first UCI World Cup podium, securing 90.12 points.
The squad now travels to Shanghai for the first ever Olympic Qualifier Series, and you can find out more here.
