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Report: West Midlands Cyclo-Cross League Finale

The 10th and final round of the West Midlands cyclo cross league took place at Wolverhampton's Aldersley Sports Village on Sunday. Promoting club Wolverhampton Wheelers again gave the riders a technically demanding course and the steep climb at the far end of the football fields left the majority of the field wanting. Although the number of riders were slightly down on previous rounds there was still excellent racing to be had and some notable individual performances.

YOUTH

Solihull's Jack Ravenscroft led a blistering youth race showing his class to hold off the likes of second place Callum Ferguson (Halesowen A & CC) and team mate Danny Fox. The three riders led the race from early on pulling gaps from promoting club's Adam Lewis and Tim Metcalfe, fourth and five overall respectively. First girl to cross the line, sporting her Under 14 National Champions Jersey was Leicester Off Road's Charlotte Broughton who finished sixth overall and gave the pick of the youth race outclassing the majority of both the boys and girls fields.

The youth were competing for the Barry Elson Memorial Trophy which was presented by his brother Adrian who is recovering from a head on collision with a car the previous week but was insistent the race would go ahead and he would present the trophy. Barry was the British Reigning National Schoolboy cyclo cross champion when he was tragically killed in an accident some forty years ago. Aldersley was the venue where he won the title.

1.Jack Ravenscroft Solihull CC
2.Callum Ferguson Halesowen A&CC
3.Danny Fox Solihull CC
4.Adam Lewis Wolverhampton Wheelers
5.Tim Metcalfe Wolverhampton Wheelers
6.Charlotte Broughton Leicester Off Road

VETS /JUNIORS/WOMEN

There was a minutes silence before the veteran/junior/womens race in honour of Pete Biddle who sadly passed away over the Christmas holidays. Pete was a well known and much respected commissaire in and around the Midlands and was a familiar face at many of Wolverhampton Wheelers events. There will be many people involved with cycling that will miss Pete and his good humoured approach to presiding over cycle races. Certainly a pair of boots which will be difficult to fill.

Any rider that can hold off the likes of Steve Knight (Team Jewson/Thule) on a course like Aldersley deserves to cross the line with arms aloft and Halesowen A&CC rider (and photographer) Jacob James did just that. Always a category that produces some fine racing, Sunday's event gave us just that. Leading from the gun James, who has spent the majority of the cross season injured, took the race by the horns and rode superbly to hold the front spot from the gun to the flag. Knight, never a rider to ease up couldn't make inroads to the young james and had to settle for second place overall. Third spot went to Luke Grivall-Mellor (Mid Shropshire Wheelers) who started 2 minutes down in the Vets 50+ group and showed his class to finish on the podium. Graham Edwards(Abergavenny) took the Vets 50+ category finishing 10th overall with a gritty ride that left many of the younger vets and juniors hanging on to his coat tails. Hannah Payton was the first woman over the line, showing off her recently won National Junior Girls Jersey.

1.Jacob James Halesowen A&CC junior
2.Steve Knight Team Jewson/Thule/Kenisis vet 40+
3.Luke Grivall-Mellor Mid Shropshire Wheelers junior
4.Phil Blacker Wyre Forest vet 40+
5.Shaun Hammond Wolverhampton Wheelers vet 45+

others

10.Graham Edwards Abergervenny vet 55+
20.Hannah Payton Stourbridge CC lady junior

SENIORS

A fine race victory from League sponsor's Tom Payton (Cult Racing) wrapped the 2010-11 season up nicely, but the Stourbridge rider didn't have things all his own way. Robert Sunail (Cycle Premier) pushed the local rider pretty much the whole of the race with the lead changing on more then one occasion and it wasn't until two laps to go that Payton managed to break the elastic and pull away from Sunail.

Colin Miller (Coventry) rode a pretty much solo race to take a well deserved third place with Robbie Burns (Fred Williams) taking the fourth spot, a good result considering missing the majority of the season because of work commitments. Cycle Speedway multi champion Lee Aris took to the starting line to compete in his first cross event and rode well to finish 18th overall after been told he couldn't use his elbows and lean on riders going in to the corners.

1.Tom Payton Cult Racing
2.Robert Sunail Cycle Premier
3.Colin Miller Coventry
4.Robbie Burns Wolverhampton Wheelers
5.Niel Haywood Stourbridge CC

The WMCCL prize presentation will be held on Sunday February 13th at Halesowen A&CC club room at 1PM

JACOB JAMES' IMAGES