Location: Colchester, Essex
Event: 2 June 2013
Report: Snowdon Sports
Third in the same event two years ago, Essex racer Steve Griffiths stepped up to take the win in the 2013 Abberton Road Race near Colchester on Sunday.
Griffiths, 26 and from Hornchurch, took the win for Pro Cycle Hire UK Racing Team in an eight-rider sprint finish at the end of the 60-mile race.
Cambridge CC’s Toby Parnell took second spot, while the podium was completed by St Ives CC rider Lubomir Belak.
The eight-man break was just over a minute clear of the bunch, and also included Gray Turnock (Finsbury Park CC), Graham Collins (Ipswich BC), Damien Foy (Eagle RC), Gonzalo Rodriguez (East London Velo) and Patrick Schils (Velo Schils).
Griffiths was part of an earlier three-man break which went clear on the first of ten laps of the windswept circuit around a reservoir, and that trio was joined by other attackers as the race progressed.
But they struggled to get any workable gap and were swallowed up by the bunch.
At the bell an eight-rider break got clear, and quickly gained a gap on the rest. In the sprint for the line Parnell attacked first, but Griffiths was on his wheel and overhauled him just before the line.
“It was pretty windy out there,” said Griffiths afterwards. “I got away in the early break and that soon grew, but another three attacked again, and the rest of us went back to the bunch.
“They stayed away for another lap and a half, but the bunch caught them too, so it was all back together.
“We got a good gap shortly after the bell, and we were all working hard to stay clear this time. My team-mates worked hard all day too so I’m glad for them to get the win.”
Results:
1 Steve Griffiths Pro Cycle Hire UK R.T. 2 02:53:36
2 Toby Parnell Cambridge C.C. 2 s.t.
3 Lubomir Belak St Ives C.C. 2 s.t.
4 Gray Turnock Finsbury Park C.C. 2 s.t.
5 Graham Collins Ipswich B.C. 2 s.t.
6 Damien Foy Eagle Road Club 3 s.t.
7 Gonzalo Rodriguez East London Velo 2 s.t.
8 Patrick Schils Velo Schils Interbike R.T. 2 s.t.
9 Nick White East London Velo 2 @1-05
10 Joe Giggins Pro Cycle Hire UK R.T. 2 s.t.
11 Edward Ashby Private Member 2 s.t.
12 Russell Ford Glade C.C. 2 s.t.
13 Philip Hetzel Ipswich B.C. 2 s.t.
14 Edward Farnell Cambridge C.C. 2 s.t.
15 Joshua Green Glendene C.C. 2 s.t.
16 Jack Steven East London Velo 2 s.t.
17 Simon Alexander Twenty3c.co.uk- Focus 2 s.t.
18 Colin Bailey North Road C.C. 2 s.t.
19 George Wood Maldon & District C.C. 2 s.t.
20 David Bamford East London Velo 3 s.t.
21 Jonathan Needham Finchley R.T. 3 s.t.
22 Matt Garfield Fenland Clarion C.C. 2 s.t.
23 James Browne VC Norwich 2 s.t.
24 Mike Smith Colchester Rovers C.C. 2 s.t.
25 Matthew Menlove Maldon & District C.C. 3 s.t.
26 Mark Westrup Strada Sport 2 s.t.
27 Tom Baskaya Finsbury Park C.C. 3 s.t.
28 Kevin Jefferies Velo Schils Interbike R.T. 4 s.t.
29 Frank Rawlins North Road C.C. 2 s.t.
30 Dieter Rowe Strada Sport 3 s.t.
31 Trevor Ormes Velo Schils Interbike R.T. 3 s.t.
32 Alex Cohen Finsbury Park C.C. 3 s.t.
33 Brad Lamb Glade C.C. 3 s.t.
34 Carmelo Luggeri C.C. Ashwell 3 s.t.
35 Ian Samuel Crest C.C. 3 s.t.
36 Nick Esser Strada Sport 2 s.t.
37 Matthew Carter Velo Schils Interbike R.T. 2 s.t.
38 Stephen Wharton Finchley R.T. 3 s.t.
39 Howard Lightfoot Cambridge C.C. 3 s.t.
40 Steve Hubbard Cambridge C.C. 3 s.t.
41 Gavin Moore Pro Cycle Hire UK R.T. 2 s.t.
42 Daniel Scott Pro Cycle Hire UK R.T. 3 s.t.
43 Huberney Diaz Pretorius 3 s.t.
44 Paul McGrath North Road C.C. 3 @5-20
DNF Robert Samuel Crest C.C. 3 DNF
DNF James Hockridge Colchester Rovers C.C. 4 DNF
DNF Paul Dewberry Colchester Rovers C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Nigel Hobday Cambridge C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Lee Rowe Finchley R.T. 2 DNF
DNF Adrian McTigue Ipswich B.C. 4 DNF
DNF Mark Beattie Maldon & District C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Hamish Hore Maldon & District C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Stuart Pryce Strada Sport 2 DNF
DNF Ralph Mullan Shaftesbury C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Adrian Ward Shaftesbury C.C. 3 DNF
DNF Philip Hargreaves VC Norwich 3 DNF
DNF Mark Hurrell Velo Schils Interbike R.T. 2 DNF
DNF Ben Smith Welwyn Wheelers 3 DNF
DNF Darren Rule Cycle Club Sudbury 4 DNF
DNF Robert Abbey Hemel Hempstead C.C. 4 DNF
Please credit www.britishcycling.org.uk and link back if you use any of our race results.
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.
