A busy early season for Team Wallis_CHH has seen a new look team work hard in preparation for an important April and May. The Preston based squad has seen several coming and goings over the winter, with Rob Smail, formerly of Cycle Premier Metaltek now adding his experience.
Smail has made an immediate impact finishing in the top 6 at both the Clayton Velo Spring Classic and the Severn Bridge Road Race. The Clayton Velo event saw him join an elite group of six riders that formed the decisive break with around 3 laps to go. The group was to stay together long enough to contest the final sprint finish, in which Smail narrowly missed out on a podium place. He was again joined by esteemed company at the 40th running of the Severn Bridge Road Race. The race took a similar pattern to the Spring Classic, with a group of elite riders taking charge of the race, including Smail. This time however Marcin Bialoblocki was to ride clear of the group, with Smail taking sixth in the following sprint. In addition to Smail’s good form, Calum Nicholson showed his time-trialling prowess at the Ingleborough Classic, finishing second in a field containing two fulltime professional riders from the Node 4 team.
The other prestigious early season race, the Eddie Soens Memorial Race again saw more success for several Team Wallis_CHH riders, but this time it was two of their exceptional talented juniors that thrived. Henry Hunter, (16) and Harry Tanfield, (17), both finished strongly enough to finish 17th and 19th respectively in a strong bunch sprint finish. The race meant the youngsters rubbing shoulders with the likes of eventual winner Dean Downing and some other countries other top professional riders. Tanfield’s success has not gone unnoticed as he has been selected for the Great Britain Squad to ride Junior Paris-Roubaix.
The junior riders will now go on to compete at the Cadence Junior Road Race in Wales and the Junior Tour of the Isle of Man where they will hope to continue their good form. The senior squad will be hoping that their hard work will have paid off when they compete at Dengie Marshes and Toor Doon Hame Premier Calendar races. The string of strong early season results has meant that Wallis_CHH’s entry to the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic event has been accepted, showing the strong progress the team has made so far this term.
