Location: Clitheroe, Lancashire
Event: 21 April 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports
Tom Black (Cycle Premier-Kovert) was first across the line in the National Emergency Services Championships staged in Clitheroe, Lancashire, on Saturday.
The 22-year-old from the Isle of Man crossed the line well clear of the chasing pack – but firefighter Grahame Sumner (GB Fire Service) took the title for the fourth time.
Black, a post office worker, was ineligible for the prizes as he does not work in the emergency services but was still very pleased with first place, which he took by a margin of around two-and-a-half minutes.
Sumner, 34, takes the title for the fourth time and among the prizes he received was the Colin Townsley Trophy which is in memory of a former Soho Station Officer who lost his life in the 1987 Kings Cross blaze.
Grahame, from Ormskirk, said: “It was a race in a race, if you like, there are always a few other lads of a good standard who enter.
“Tom had a cracking ride and I did try to get across to him but he had every move covered and it was very tough to catch him.
“I always want to win the fire service championship but it is nice to finish ahead of the police if possible too!
“It’s great to win the Colin Townsley Trophy because it has a lot of history behind it and it’s a fantastic piece of silverware.”
Black said: “It was a really tough circuit, lots of ups and downs and the race broke really early, on the second lap.
“A junior rider tried to get away and took a few riders with him on the start/finish line as it climbs up and the guy who finished second was among them.
“I had to cover that and I managed to get away on the last lap and did 30 miles on my own. I had great support from the motorbike, they kept me up to date with the time gaps which was really useful.
“I just got my head down and went for it in the end and I’m really happy with the win, even if I don’t get the prizes!”
Results:
10 1 Tom Black Cycle Premier - Kovert
76 2 Grahame Sumner Great Britain Fire Service
56 3 Peter Murdoch Team Cycle Lane
83 4 Stuart Reid Cumbria Fire and Rescue
39 5 Joe Kirkham Hargroves Cycles
60 6 Stuart Percival Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
73 7 Chris Smart Great Britain Fire Service
29 8 Hamish Graham ASFRA Racing Team
79 9 Andy Warren Rock Racing Team UK
24 10 Jay Eastwood PSUK Cycle Race Team
70 11 Paul Shallicker Greater Manchester Police
66 12 Matthew Ryan North Wales Fire Service CC
49 13 Colin Mattinson PSUK
6 14 Simon Beldon West Yorkshire Police
65 15 Daniel Rainscourt Hampshire Police Constabulary
43 16 Andrew Louis Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
35 17 David Jackson Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
2 18 Robert Adlard Team Wheelguru
61 19 Richard Phillips Schofield Hampshire Police Constabulary
62 20 Lee Plant PSUK Cycle Race Team
34 21 Neil Higgins Lancashire Constabulary CC (Preston CC)
72 22 Ian Sim GB Fire Service
19 23 Peter Danby Lancashire Police
33 24 Matt Hennon Inverclyde Velo
28 25 Ted Goss GMP Racing
41 26 Steve Legg PSUK Cycle Race Team
27 27 James Gilmour Club Member Strathclyde fire and rescue
11 28 Stuart Blackburn Lancashire Fire Service
74 29 Graham Stewart Derbyshire Police
53 30 Duncan Park Lancs Police
68 31 Hannah Sammut Doctor
22 32 Simon Davison Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue
50 33 Nicholas Mawson Swindon RC
9 34 Simon Bills Staffs Fire and Rescue
63 35 Karl Povey Strathclyde Police
25 36 Duff Fawcett Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
45 37 Michael Lund Great Britain Fire Service (FSSAA)
64 38 Chris Rainford GMC Fire Service Tri
20 39 Gary Davidson VC Astar Anderside
75 40 Richard Stott Lancashire Fire And Rescue
31 41 Craig Morgan GMP Police
14 42 John Booker Derbyshire Police
47 43 Richie Burnicle Cleveland Fire and Rescue
59 44 Alister Ogg VC Astar Anderside
4 45 Stuart Bannister West Yorkshire Police CC
30 46 Jeremy Greengrass PSUK Cycle Race Team
67 47 Andrew Saint PSUK
3 48 John Banner Derbyshire Police
18 49 Dean Cummings South Wales Police CC
57 50 Sally Murray Strathclyde Police Cycling Club
51 51 Richard McClements Cleveland fire service
16 52 Gareth Collom G M C Fire Services
55 53 Hywel Morgan South Wales Police CC
32 54 John Hampson lancs fire and rescue
82 55 Greg Plummer lancs fire and rescue
36 56 Marc Januszewski West Yorks FRS
38 57 Garry Kirk Strathclyde Fire & Rescue CC
21 58 Alan Davies PSUK
52 59 Barrie McGregor South Wales Police
48 60 Bernard Marlow Pendle Forest CC
58 61 Mike O'Regan Lancon Cycling Club
12 62 Alison Booker Derbyshire Police
54 63 Jennifer Milsom PSUK Cycle Race Team
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
