Published: 21 July 2019
Written by: David Partridge
Images: 5311 Media

BC Central's Angus Hawkins claimed his maiden Junior Road Race win with a shrewd victory on the rolling roads of Buckinghamshire to put his name alongside some illustrious previous winners.

Hawkins outsprinted Max Walker, (Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team) and Leo Hayter (VC Londres) in the climb to Cublington after a six-up breakaway had broken clear with 2km remaining.

Hawkins attacked the race from the start leading up a four-man breakaway immediately after the race was neutralised, which stayed together for over 20km of the race, opening up a small gap for the first two of the five-and-three-quarter laps.

With the bunch approaching the finishing climb for the third scheduled time it was the turn of Leo Hayter and Joe Pidcock, (Fensham Howes – MAS Design) to breakaway with the two sharing the workload to try and distance themselves from the chasers.

Their break didn’t last long with a number of riders bridging the gap and closing down the break, and by the time the peloton reached the feed station for the fifth and final time the gap had all but disappeared.

It was on the descent out of Whitchurch where the decisive move came, as eight riders broke clear of the bunch.

With little cohesion in the group and with none of them willing to make the move it was Hawkins who kicked away with 1km to go, dropping Pidcock in the process and climbing the hill ahead of Walker and Hayter, who was spent from his earlier attacks.

Afterwards Hawkins described the win as a huge confidence boost going into next week’s National Championships in Lincoln.

The win is another for the BC Central Team following on from Tom Couzens’ victory in Monmouthshire continuing the team’s successful year on the road.

1st Angus Hawkins, BC Central

2nd Max Walker Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team

3rd Leo Hayter, VC Londres

4th Tom Portsmouth, Spiderking Soenens U19 development team

5th Matthew Kingston, RST/Cycle Division Racing Team

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