Ian Field and Evie Richards took victories in the second round of the British Cycling National Trophy Series, held in Abergavenny on Sunday.
Elite men
Ian Field took a lone victory on a fast, dry but challenging course around the Abergavenny Leisure Centre.
Billy Harding (Oldfield/ Paul Milnes) set the race alight from the gun, hitting the head of the race and leading the big field out around the pit area.
Steve James (Hope Factory Racing) was on the leader’s wheel and the pair set the early pace. Ian Field (Hargroves/Ridley), Yorben Van Tichelt (Marlux- Napoleon), Nick Barnes (Hargroves/Ridley), Dave Fletcher (Sherwood Pines) and Jan Denuwelaere (Mathieu-Kona) headed up the rest of the field.
With the race settling down, it was Harding along with Field and Van Tichelt who jumped away as the race entered the second lap, the trio out at the front of the race.
Elite men's gallery
A chase group of Denuwelaere, Fletcher, Barnes and Paul Oldham (Hope Factory) had their work cut out trying to climb their back to the race lead but the leaders had the race all but tied up at that early stage.
Liam Killeen was cutting his way through the field. The National Champion, starting at the back of the grid, was having to muster every ounce of energy to get up to the front.
Field and Van Tichelt overtook Harding on the third lap, their experience showing through, but the Hope Factory rider managed to stay in contention.
Fletcher rallied to get back on the wheel of Harding and the battle for third place was on. Oldham had found some form and by mid-race the Hope rider was nibbling at the heels of fourth place.
With three laps remaining Field made his move on the steep kick up to the pit area with Van Tichelt unable to respond to the attack.
Field had to dig deep but soon had a fair gap that the Belgium rider couldn’t reel back in. Field’s lead would continue to increase to the flag.
Fletcher had attacked Harding and was almost in contact on the bottom field. Oldham was pulling the pair back and Killeen had worked his way through to eighth position.
On the penultimate lap, Field had all but secured the win from Van Tichelt, the Belgium now unable to bridge the gap. Harding had consolidated third but Oldham was still on the chase after Fletcher who would concede his position to the Hope rider on the final lap. Killeen was still chasing but finished in sixth with Fletcher holding out for fifth.
The win puts Field into the series leader jersey, equal on points with Van Tichelt.
“It was a good race. I went out a bit earlier this week and tested it a bit more.- Elite Men's winner Ian Field.
"The first few laps I was struggling because I trained quite hard this week and I had heavy legs. I put in a dig with three to go and got a decent gap.
“He (Van Tichelt) was trying to get me to the front and I thought if I go to the front, I’ve got to go really hard. I went where I went when I won the National Championship, the little steep U-turn bank going back into the pits. I went really hard up there, hard through the pits and then you’re on to the long drag all the way to the top so it was maybe a two-minute effort.
“Then I was just trying to keep it smooth in the corners while my heart rate was so high. I think it cracked him a little bit by getting 10 seconds instantly which was good. I knew he might come back so I kept a check on him but it was good to be able to beat him.”
Elite women
Evie Richards took the victory in the Elite women’s race but the current under-23 World Champion didn’t have an easy day out.
Richards took the race away from the start line but it was Beth Crumpton (Boot Out Breast Cancer CC) who took the early initiative and jumped to the head of the race before the race had competed the opening lap.
Richards responded and the pair got the gap over a chasing pair of Hannah Payton (Kenesis UK) and Annabel Simpson (Hope Factory Racing).
Megan James (Abergavenny) took up fifth place. Leading the junior race, the local girl rode the race almost alone, the gap to the Elite riders proving to be a bit too far.
Richards, in her first cross race of the season, didn’t look as sharp as Crumpton and had to play second fiddle to her for much of the race.
Elite women's gallery
The race for third was still being hotly contested between Payton and Simpson, the fast course looking to suit the Hope rider.
Taking the penultimate lap, the top two were well ahead of the rest of the field and barring any incident the win would come from one of those riders.
The gap to third was too large to chase down. The final lap saw Richards find the legs to attack Crumpton and move away to ride the lap alone. Crumpton, in arguably one of her best races for a while, had to be content with second.
Simpson dropped Payton to take third but the series lead remains with Payton, the winner of the first round.
Evie Richards said after the race: “I felt quite a lot of pressure coming into this race so to get a win I’m really pleased. I’ve been worrying about it quite a lot because with the jersey comes a lot of pressure so it felt amazing. It was a really hard race with Beth, one of the toughest I’ve had in a long time.
“It was a really good battle and I’m pleased she came second, - Elite Women's winner Evie Richards.
"It’s a fast course with a lot of turns and it was windy and open so the speed was killed quite a lot so tactics went out the window and we just had to ride based on the race really.”
Other Categories
Nick Craig (Scott Racing) took the win in the Over 40 veterans category in the first race of the day, the National Champion making a steady start to his race before moving up on the second lap.
Matt Barrett (Renvale RT) took the early lead along with Chris Rathbone (unattached). The pair dictated the early pace, stretching the field out along the off-camber section on the top field.
Ian Taylor (C&N Cycles) tried to go with Craig, but once the Scott rider had made his move there would be only one outcome. Rob Jebb (Hope Factory Racing) moved up to the chasing group of Barrett, Rathbone and Taylor and made his move coming into the final lap to take second to Craig, Barrett completed the podium holding off Taylor to take a fine third place.
In the Over 50 veterans race Pete Middleton (Zepnat RT) took a fine win to claim the Series lead, while Richard Cross (Stroud Valley Velo) took second and John Mein (Derwentside CC) claimed his first podium of the series taking third.
Other Categories Gallery
Harriet Harnden (T-Mo Racing) romped away in the Under 16 girls race to take the win and retain the Series lead.
Harden made an early move along with Poppy Wildman (SF Racing) and Ava Oxley-Szilagyi (PH-MAS VCUK). The trio moved away from the rest of the field on the opening lap but Abbie Manley (Solent Pirates) and team-mate Amy Perryman worked hard to get on terms with the leaders.
However, it was Harnden who proved too strong for the field and no one had an answer to her attack, taking the final two laps alone. Wildman moved up to second but didn’t have an answer to the leader, while Oxley-Szilagyi took third and Manley won the sprint with Perryman to take a well-fought fourth.
Millie Couzens (Zappis CC) made it two from two in the under 14 girls race with another dominant ride to retain the Series lead, while Anna Wadsworth (Beeline Bikes CC) took second and Maindy Flyer’s Zoe Backstedt third.
After disappointment at Derby, Ben Tulett (Beeline-Gener8) made no mistake this time and took his first win of the Series.
The National Champion hit the race hard from the gun and was never really troubled throughout the four laps. The battle for second was a bit tighter though, Jenson Young (Pedalsport CC), Charlie Craig (Scott Racing), Lewis Askey (RST RT) and Oliver Draffan (Derwentside CC) were all chasing for the podium.
Craig, Young and Askey were all in with a shot on the final lap but it was Craig who put in arguably his best ride in the Series to take second and secure his first yellow jersey, whilst Young took third and his first podium.
Joe Kiely (Welwyn Wheelers) took the win in the Under 14 boys race, while Finlay Pickering (Hull Thursday RC) took second and Callum Reid (Rock & Road Cycles) completed the podium in third.
Ross Harnden (Malvern Cycle Sport) took the win and the Series lead after a close race in the juniors. Matt Ellis (Steve Poole Plant Hire) made the first move with a fast first lap with a group of six including Harden, Euan Cameron (Oldfield-Paul Milnes), Dougal Toms (Iceni Velo), Sam Moses (unattached) and Mark Donovan (Wheelbase Altura).
Harden made his move in the closing laps and no one had an answer to the Malvern rider who stayed away to take the win. Toms took second from Ellis after a sprint up the long finish straight. Sam Moses had enough in the tank to hold Donovan off into fifth.
Maddie Smith (Bolsover & District CC) proved too strong in the Veteran Women’s race, taking a fine win from Series leader Isla Rowntree (Islabikes).
Smith was equal to Rowntree on the opening lap but the course looked to favour Smith who powered away as the race progressed. Helen Pattinson (Solent Pirates) completed the podium, holding off Verity Appleyard (Brotherton Cycles) to take third.
Rowntree goes into round three retaining the Series lead.
Results:
Elite men:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Cat Finish Deficit
1 Ian Field Hargroves Cycles - Ridley RT ME 01:00:50
2 Yorben Van Tichelt Marlux-Napoleon Games ME 01:01:33 00:43.0
3 Billy Harding Oldfield/Paul Milnes MU23 01:01:46 00:55.6
4 Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing ME 01:01:55 01:04.4
5 David Fletcher Sherwood Pines Cycles ME 01:02:00 01:09.9
6 Liam Killeen Malvern Cycle Sport ME 01:02:06 01:15.7
7 Jan Denuwelaere Mahieu – Kona ME 01:02:43 01:52.6
8 Steven James Hope Factory Racing ME 01:02:54 02:04.1
9 Nicholas Barnes Hargroves Cycles - Ridley RT ME 01:03:02 02:11.5
10 Robin Alderweireld Cycling Team Oostkust MU23 01:03:22 02:31.4
Elite women:
Pos FirstName LastName Club SubCat Finish Deficit
1 Evie Richards 100% ME U23 50:40.9
2 Bethany Crumpton Boot Out Breast Cancer CC FE 51:04.8 00:23.9
3 Annabel Simpson Hope Factory Racing FE 51:57.8 01:16.9
4 Hannah Payton Team Kinesis UK FE 52:49.6 02:08.7
5 Megan James Abergavenny Road Club J 53:11.0 02:30.2
6 Rebecca Preece Leisure Lakes Bakes FE 53:53.2 03:12.3
7 Elspeth Grace Welwyn Wheelers CC J 54:21.2 03:40.3
8 Diane Lee Cannondale Girls FE 54:39.5 03:58.6
9 Sarah Lomas Nutcracker Racing U23 55:12.8 04:31.9
10 Sophie Thackray SunSport Velo J 45:03.1 1 lap
Veteran 40 men:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Nick Craig SCOTT Racing 40:36.0
2 Robert Jebb Hope Factory Racing 40:50.0 00:14.1
3 Matthew Barrett Renvale RT 41:00.6 00:24.7
4 Ian Taylor C and N Cycles RT 41:17.9 00:41.9
5 Christopher Rathbone Individual Member 41:23.2 00:47.2
6 Tim Davies CC Abergavenny/JP Signs 41:31.0 00:55.1
7 Daniel Guest Cotswold Veldrijden 41:37.0 01:01.0
8 Dave Collins Hope Factory Racing 41:51.5 01:15.5
9 Andrew Peace Jedi Cycle Sport 42:32.0 01:56.1
10 Andrew Parry Urban-Cyclery 42:39.3 02:03.4
Veteran women:
1 Maddi Smith Bolsover & District CC V45 44:37.5
2 Isla Rowntree Islabikes V45 45:04.0 00:26.5
3 Helen Pattinson Solent Pirates V45 46:47.2 02:09.6
4 Verity Appleyard Brotherton Cycles V40 46:52.8 02:15.2
5 Alison Kinloch PH-MAS VCUK WCT V40 47:57.8 03:20.3
6 Tracey Fletcher Team Empella CC V50 48:03.4 03:25.9
7 Karen Poole Sportstest RT V40 48:35.4 03:57.9
8 Nicola Davies Beacon Wheelers V55 48:49.4 04:11.8
9 Joanne Newstead XRT - Elmy Cycles V45 49:04.6 04:27.1
10 Catherine Kilburn Individual Member V50 49:06.1 04:28.6
Junior men:
1 Ross Harnden Malvern Cycle Sport 47:02.6
2 Dougal Toms Iceni Velo 47:17.0 00:14.4
3 Matthew Ellis Steve Poole Plant Hire 47:18.8 00:16.2
4 Sam Moses Individual Member 47:23.5 00:20.9
5 Mark Donovan Wheelbase Altura MGD 47:24.1 00:21.5
6 Euan Cameron Oldfield/Paul Milnes 48:10.0 01:07.4
7 Jacob Knight Solihull CC 48:44.2 01:41.6
8 Tom Martin Biketreks Racing 49:02.1 01:59.5
9 Callum Macleod Palmer Park Velo RT 49:09.6 02:07.0
10 Kieran Jarvis Strada-Sport 49:19.2 02:16.6
Veteran 50 men:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Pete Middleton www.Zepnat.com RT 42:24.1
2 Richard Cross Stroud Valley Velos 43:08.7 00:44.6
3 John Mein Derwentside CC 43:26.0 01:01.9
4 Grant Johnson Sunset Cycles 43:27.7 01:03.7
5 Steven Davies Hargroves Cycles - Ridley RT 43:40.3 01:16.2
6 Philip Roach Team Jewson-M.I.Racing 43:57.2 01:33.1
7 Kirby Bennett Team Jewson-M.I.Racing 44:18.1 01:54.0
8 Keith Sheridan Cotswold Veldrijden 45:29.1 03:05.0
9 Richard Atkinson Ashburn Wealth 45:36.2 03:12.1
10 Brian Johnson Cestria Cycles RT 45:36.3 03:12.3
Under 16 boys:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Ben Tulett Beeline-Gener8 30:09.7
2 Charlie Craig SCOTT Racing 30:23.4 00:13.7
3 Jenson Young Pedalsport Cycling Club 30:48.2 00:38.6
4 Lewis Askey RST Racing Team 31:00.3 00:50.6
5 Oliver Draffan Derwentside CC 31:24.9 01:15.2
6 Finlay Cooper-Oldroyd Pedalsport Cycling Club 31:41.8 01:32.1
7 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 31:49.1 01:39.4
8 Marcus Holmes Lichfield City CC 31:49.9 01:40.2
9 Alec Gregory Leicestershire Road Club 31:56.2 01:46.5
10 Joseph Pidcock Paul Milnes - Bradford 32:43.8 02:34.1
Under 16 girls:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Harriet Harnden T-Mo Racing 34:25.3
2 Poppy Wildman SF Racing 35:49.1 01:23.7
3 Ava Oxley-Szilagyi PH-MAS VCUK WCT 35:54.3 01:29.0
4 Abbie Manley Solent Pirates 36:08.9 01:43.5
5 Amy Perryman Solent Pirates 36:09.0 01:43.6
6 Katie Scott Cotswold Veldrijden 37:23.7 02:58.3
7 Josie Nelson Leicestershire Road Club 37:24.0 02:58.6
8 Maddie Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT 37:25.5 03:00.1
9 Nicole Clarke Birkenhead North End CC 37:35.2 03:09.8
10 Elena Smith Fossa Racing 38:05.2 03:39.8
Under 14 boys:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC 32:38.4
2 Finlay Pickering Hull Thursday RC 33:18.8 00:40.4
3 Callum Reid Rock And Road Cycles 33:30.8 00:52.4
4 Freddy Birchill Southfork Racing.co.uk 33:46.3 01:07.9
5 Adam Bent Border City Wheelers 33:47.2 01:08.8
6 Max Poole Bike Box Alan 33:47.3 01:08.8
7 Joshua Giddings The MI Racing Academy 33:59.4 01:21.0
8 Benjamin Peatfield Bolton Hot Wheels CC 34:01.1 01:22.7
9 Kieran Riley Langdale Lightweights RT 34:20.8 01:42.3
10 Ben Askey RST Racing Team 34:28.0 01:49.6
Under 14 girls:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Finish Deficit
1 Millie Couzens Zappi's Cycling Club 36:45.3
2 Anna Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT 37:33.9 00:48.6
3 Zoe Backstedt Maindy Flyers Youth CC 37:57.3 01:12.0
4 Charlotte-Louise McGreevy WXC World Racing 38:13.4 01:28.1
5 Madeleine Osborn Abergavenny Road Club 39:07.9 02:22.6
6 Roisin Lally Derwentside CC 39:43.1 02:57.8
7 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Whls 39:46.4 03:01.2
8 Niamha Albones Liverpool Century RC 39:47.4 03:02.1
9 Caoimhe May Orwell Wheelers 40:41.1 03:55.8
10 Bethany Barnett Kings Lynn CC 40:41.4 03:56.1
