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Bromley Go-Ride Racing League Round 3

Posted: 7th April

The third round of the Bromley Go-Ride Racing League saw 37 young riders race around a twisting and hilly cross country circuit in Norman Park in Bromley. Hosted by Bigfoot Go-Ride, the event saw some close racing across all age categories.

Race one - Individual time trial
The first race saw riders up against the clock in a one lap time trial of the twisting circuit which included a tough climb topped with a 90 degree turn into a steep descent. In the Under 8s race, Jack Harradine of Bigfoot Go-Ride finished in the quickest time, ahead of league leader George Harding (Penge Go-Ride) and first time racer Catherine Pearce.

In a repeat of the result from both previous rounds, the Under 10s category, which had 16 riders, saw Imogen Meers take top spot, beating her Bigfoot team mate Irfan Zaman into second place.

The Under 12s race saw a reversal of the result from round 2, with Fraser Spooncer of Penge beaten into second place by Sam Hopkins from Bigfoot.

The Under 14s category was once again a close-fought contest, with the a repeat of the result from round 2 - Liam Burns finishing first and Tom Smith in second, making it a Penge one-two once again.

Race two - Mass start race
The wind really picked up during the morning, providing an additional challenge as the racing switched to mass start events.

In the Under 8s race, lasting one lap, Jack Harradine came in first, ahead of George Harding, with new Bigfoot member Henry Davies coming in third in his first ever race. With previous league leader Cameron McIntyre otherwise engaged, George Harding has moved into first place in the league. It looks like a three way battle between George, Cameron and Jack over the remaining two rounds.

With a large field, the Under 10s race required two heats and a final. The two favourites, Imogen Meers and Irfan Zaman, won their respective heats, leading to an exciting final. Although all the finalists were competitive, they were no match for Imogen and Irfan over the two laps.

Irfan led all the way, but Imogen rode a tactical race, taking a tight line on the final corner and lunging for the line to finish no more than a wheel length ahead. A fantastic race from two competitive and talented young cyclists.

With league leader Callum McIntyre not racing, his closest rivals took full advantage, with a reversal of the time trial result - Fraser Spooncer took first place from Sam Hopkins. This puts Fraser into first place in the league, followed by Sam, with former leader Callum now in third. The final two rounds should see a close end to the season.

Another close competition is taking shape in the Under 14s category, with Penge team mates Liam Burns leading Tom Smith by 2 points after 3 rounds. Liam took the honours in the mass start race, finishing first, while Michael Chambers from Bigfoot rode a strong and consistent race too finish second. Tom Smith scored valuable points by finishing third (on a borrowed bike after a mechanical problem earlier in the day), while a special mention must be made of fourth placed Ella Deighton, who bravely returned to racing after crashing heavily in training at a recent Go-Ride session.

Go-Ride Racing is continuing to be popular with young riders in Bromley, with plenty of new faces, and some closely-fought but good-natured battles taking shape in the league. We're now looking forward to round 4 inCrystal Palace Park on 7th May.

Round 1 and Round 2 Reports can be found here

Click the links or more information on British Cycling's Go-Ride Programme, Go-Ride Racing and our new under 16 membership package - The Hub.