Yorben Van Tichelt (Marlux-Napoleon Games) and Hannah Payton (Kinesis UK) drew first blood as Moorways Leisure Centre in Derby witnessed some thrilling and hard-fought action in the opening round of the British Cycling National Trophy Cyclo-cross Series.
Senior Men
Yorben Van Tichelt (Marlux-Napoleon Games) sprinted to victory ahead of Ian Field (Hargroves Cycles-Ridley) after the pair had battled for much of the race.
The pair worked well together and as the clock ticked by the gap to the chasers soon hit the minute mark.
Tichelt’s team-mate Angelo De Clercq, who placed second at Derby last year behind Field, went on the chase but barring any incident the front two were not going to be troubled.
The chase group grew to some 17 by the midway point, Jack Clarkson and Paul Oldham (Hope Factory), Nick Barnes and Mike Butler (Hargroves Cycles-Ridley), Jan Denuwelaere (Mathieu-Kona), Dave Fletcher (Sherwood Pines-Felt- Envy) and Billy Harding (Oldfield/Paul Milnes) among the group.
But they couldn’t find an answer to the leaders and had to be content fighting out for third. Billy Harding would ultimately finish fifth and take the under 23 race.
The leading pair exchanged the front position throughout the race, working through the back markers with ease whilst the chase group’s numbers fluctuated throughout.
With some 45 minutes gone that chase split, Denuwelaere, Butler, De Clercq and Nick Barnes moved away from the big chase group as the race approached the scaffold bridge but that would be short-lived and were back into the chase within a lap.
With two laps remaining Van Tichelt made his move and got a gap to Field. The Belgium rider took to the bridge alone, Field had to respond immediately and got back on terms by the time they took to the hurdles. De Clercq get the gap on the chasers and looked to have kept his powder dry until the latter stages of the race.
With the bell ringing the lead pair rolled across the line together looking at each other. Again Van Tichelt attacked Field on the hurdles and made a few bike lengths but Field pegged the leader back, however he was unable to pass him and had to be content with second spot as the Belgian took his first win at Derby.
De Clercq attacked Field on the finish straight but Field wasn’t going to lose second place. Nick Barnes took fourth, out-sprinting Billy Harding followed by Clarkson, Dednuwelaere and Oldham all on the same time.
“I felt like during the race me and Field were a really good team,” said Van Tischelt.
“We both felt we had good legs and it was a killer until the last lap, I was just happy to be able to finish it off. I raced her twice before, and this is my best result here.”
“With three laps to go I felt that was my moment to attack after the barriers, but I was a little tired and made a mistake, so Field could come back up to me.
“At the bell I asked Ian if it was really the last lap, because the last thing I saw said five laps! We were both very concentrated and focused.”
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Meanwhile, Ian Field’s race mirrored Van Tischelt’s to a large extent.
“There was nothing to split us, it was just that he was off at the barriers and I wasn’t,” said Field. “We were really closely matched. We both put in digs throughout the race and couldn’t get rid of each other, so it was just a drag race to the finish line.
“We worked well together, and were never in danger of getting caught by the other guys. We knew we would have to work together to stay clear, and only started racing each other in the last three laps.
“It should be a good Series with Yorben racing all the rounds!” - Ian Field.
Senior Women
Hannah Payton (Kinesis UK) powered to victory ahead of Annie Simpson (Hope Factory Racing) and Beth Crumpton (Boot out Breast Cancer CC) at the end of a challenging opening round in Derby.
The 22-year-old from Kingswinford in the West Midlands was around 25 seconds ahead of Simpson, with Crumpton one lap down.
Payton, the winner of last season’s British Cycling National Trophy Series, took the race on from the front and along with Simpson and Crumpton all but dominated the big field.
A strong road season for Payton and Simpson looked to be paying dividends on the fast course, only Crumpton able to stay with the pace of the pair.
The trio had taken to the head of the race by the start of the second lap, the field already split across the circuit. Abergavenny’s Ffyon James had settled into fourth spot unable to close the gap to the leaders, but was holding off a chase from Elspeth Grace (Welwyn Wheelers), Louise Mahe (Les Filles) and Jo Tindley (Ford EcoBoost).
Maddie Gammons (RP Vision RT), Sophie Thackray (Sunsport Velo) and Speedflex’s Sophie Turnbull headed the chase from the rest of the field but the leaders weren’t going to be troubled as they pushed on.
With only a few laps remaining James began to slow, allowing the chase to bridge the gap to make a chase group of four riders. But it was to be short lived with Tindley feeling the pace and dropping back.
With the Junior men’s race finishing there would only be Payton and Simpson who were in front of the winner and had to complete another lap, Crumpton taking third after falling at the hurdles on the penultimate lap and losing touch with the lead group.
James kept her fourth place and the first Under 23 home, Elspeth Grace finished sixth and first junior. The two leaders took to the final lap but it was Payton who had the edge of her road team mate Simpson and opened up the gap to take the chequered flag quite comfortably.
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“It’s always a bit risky to get the leader’s jersey in the first round, because now I’ve got to keep it through the series, but it’s nice to win,” she said. “It was a really good race, four of us got away from the gun, and within half a lap there was just me, Beth and Annie left.
“We were taking it in turns to attack each other, and it was pretty windy out there." - Hannah Payton.
"I knew attacking was a risky strategy, but I wanted to get into all the technical sections first and try and attack out of them to make them more tired at every bend.
“I’ve got a lot more leg speed this season, riding the road has made me a lot stronger. It was a pretty full on road season so I’ve had a few weeks off, and I wasn’t sure how my form would be but it’s nice to still be on top.”
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Kris Lapere took a fine win in the Over 40 Veterans race. Taking to the head of the race on the opening lap, the Belgian rider set his stall out and never took his foot off the gas, increasing his lead as the laps rolled by.
A solid looking chase group of five including Jim Bryan (Zepnat RT), Nick Craig (SCOTT Racing), Ian Taylor (C & N Cycles), Darren Atkins (Ride Coventry) and Rob Jebb (Hope Factory Racing) kept the tempo high throughout the race but just couldn’t make inroads to leader.
Lapere just missed out on the podium last season but he made no mistake this time, timing his race to perfection to take a lone win. Jim Bryan and Nick Craig took second and third respectively.
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“I’m very happy,” said Lapere. “Last year I was fourth and was a bit disappointed, but afterwards I realised that the level is much higher than it is in Belgium.”
Despite never really being able to shake off the attentions of Bryan as well as Nick Craig (Scott Racing) in third, Lapere led from the start.
“To win here and be on the front for the whole race was nice for me. I wanted to see how strong the field was, I saw Nick Craig in the field and I know he’s very strong. I wanted to see how it was going during the race and take it from there.
“It was very quick on the first lap, and I had an easy lap but then I increased my tempo later in the race.
“I would like to come back and race some more over here, I love it racing in the UK.” - Over-40s winner Lapere.
Chris Young (Pedalsport CC) claimed the win in the Over 50s veterans after a race long tussle with Pete Middleton (Zepnat RT).
The race could’ve gone either way until the closing metres when Young jumped away and established a gap. Richard Cross (Stroud Valley Velo) took third and Steve Davies (Hargroves Cycles-Ridley) took fourth, the pair fighting for the last podium place throughout the race.
Isla Rowntree (Islabikes) needed just one bike and one gear to cross the line ahead of the field in the veteran women race beating Verity Appleyard (Brotherton’s Cycles) into second and Alison Kinloch (VCUK PH-MAS) into third.
Harriet Harndon (T-Mo Racing) took the win in the Under 16s girls race.
Along with Poppy Wildman (SF Racing) and Ava Oxley-Szilagyi (VCUK PH-MAS), Harndon was part of a trio of riders who made the early lead.
Amy Perryman (Solent Pirates) hooked on in the opening lap but the leaders proved too quick to stay with. A chase group including Perryman, along with team-mate Abbie Manley and Towy Riders’ Eluned King formed a chase group but the podium was going to come from the lead trio.
Harndon had the legs to get a small gap in the closing corners to take the win, while Wildman took second place by a mere second from Oxley-Szilagyi.
Millie Couzens (Zappi’s CC) took a fine win in the Under 14 girls race from Anna Wadsworth (Beeline Bikes RT) and Charlotte Louise McGreevy(WXC World Racing).
Max Rushby (Pedalsport CC) rode a superb race to claim the win in the Under 16s boys race.
An early lead by the current National Champion Ben Tulett (Beeline Gener8) looked as though the race was won before it had begun but rolling a tub mid-race saw Tulett all but out of the race.
Rushby sensed a chance and, with Oliver Draffen (Derwentside CC), set about getting a lead over Lichfield’s Marcus Holmes and Lewis Askey (RST RT).
The lead pair looked as though they would take the race to a sprint for the finish but on the last lap Rushby took the hurdles quicker then Draffen and got the gap he needed to ride away to take a lone victory.
Draffen took a credible second whilst Both Holmes and Askey finished third and fourth respectively. A chasing Charlie Craig (SCOTT Racing) ran out of laps, a few seconds splitting third, fourth and fifth.
Finlay Pickering (Hull Thursday RC) took the win in the Under 14s boys race from Freddy Birchill (Certini) and Josh Giddings (MI Racing Academy) who secured his best result in the National Trophy Series.
Tom Pidcock (Oldfield-Paul Milnes) romped away in the Junior men’s race, taking away the yellow jersey to go with the one from the previous season.
Pidcock looked unbeatable from the off, even having time to showboat coming across the bridge. A chase group formed, including Thomas Mein (Derwentside CC), Mark Donovan (Wheelbase Altura), Toby Barnes (Lichfield CC) and Harry Yates (Hargroves Cycles-Ridley), the quartet having to fight it out for the remaining two places on the podium.
Both Mein and Donovan got the gap on Barnes and Yates mid race leaving them to chase. Mein got the better of Donovan as the laps ticked away to take second by a few seconds whilst Donovan held on to third.
Results:
Senior Men:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish Deficit
1 Yorben Van Tichelt Marlux-Napoleon Games ME 1:03:22
2 Ian Field Hargroves CyclesRidley RT ME 1:03:24 00:02
3 Angelo De Clercq Marlux-Napoleon Games ME 1:05:24 02:02
4 Nicholas Barnes Hargroves-Ridley RT ME 1:05:28 02:06
5 Billy Harding Oldfield/Paul Milnes Cycles MU23 1:05:28 02:06
6 Jack Clarkson Hope Factory Racing ME 1:05:28 02:06
7 Jan Denuwelaere Mahieu Kona ME 1:05:29 02:07
8 Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing ME 1:05:29 02:07
9 Michael Butler Hargroves-Ridley RT ME 1:05:30 02:08
10 Giles Drake Leisure Lakes Bikes.com ME 1:05:30 02:08
Senior Women:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Sub Finish Deficit
1 Hannah Payton Team Kinesis UK FE 45:55.4
2 Annabel Simpson Hope Factory Racing FE 46:20.1 00:24.7
3 Bethany Crumpton BootOutBreastCancer FE 40:07.3 1 lap
4 Ffion James Abergavenny RC FE U23 40:47.1 1 lap
5 Louise Mahe Les Filles Racing Team FE 40:50.3 1 lap
6 Elspeth Grace Welwyn Wheelers CC FE J 40:50.9 1 lap
7 Jo Tindley Team Ford Ecoboost FE 41:25.3 1 lap
8 Sophie Thackray SunSport Velo FE J 41:42.6 1 lap
9 Madeleine Gammons RP Vision RT FE J 42:04.8 1 lap
10 Fiona Turnbull Speedflex Race Team FE J 42:22.6 1 lap
Veteran Women:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Sub Finish Deficit
1 Isla Rowntree Islabikes FV 42:20.2
2 Verity Appleyard Brotherton Cycles FV 42:30.3 00:10.1
3 Alison Kinloch PH-MAS VCUK WCT FV 42:34.6 00:14.4
4 Maddi Smith Bolsover & District CC FV 42:51.4 00:31.3
5 Tracey Fletcher Empella Cyclo-Cross FV V50 43:52.2 01:32.1
6 Karen Poole Sportstest RT FV 43:52.9 01:32.7
7 Christine Amos Chainline Cycle Club FV 44:41.1 02:21.0
8 Marie Jackson Paul Milnes Bradford Oly FV 44:49.7 02:29.6
9 Harriet Guest Cotswold Veldrijden FV 37:32.2 1 lap
10 Lindsay Clarke Fenland Clarion CC FV V50 37:43.0 1 lap
Junior Men:
Pos FirstName LastName Club Cat Sub Finish Deficit
1 Thomas Pidcock Oldfield/Paul Milnes MJ 40:55.2
2 Thomas Mein Derwentside CC MJ 41:46.6 00:51.4
3 Mark Donovan Wheelbase Altura MGD MJ 41:51.5 00:56.4
4 Toby Barnes Lichfield City CC MJ 41:54.4 00:59.2
5 Harry Yates Hargroves CyclesRidley MJ 41:53.5 00:58.3
6 Sean Flynn Edinburgh RC MJ 42:37.1 01:41.9
7 Euan Cameron Oldfield/Paul Milnes MJ 42:48.3 01:53.1
8 Sam Moses Individual Member MJ 42:48.3 01:53.1
9 Ross Harnden Malvern Cycle Sport MJ 42:50.3 01:55.2
10 Harrison Knight Solihull CC MJ 42:53.4 01:58.2
Over-40 Veteran Men:
Cat First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Kris Lapere Annequin Cycling Team V40 43:26.1
2 James Bryan Zepnat RT V40 at 14.2
3 Nick Craig SCOTT Racing V40 at 18.8
4 Darren Atkins Ride Coventry V40 at 24.5
5 Ian Taylor C and N Cycles RT V40 at 27.2
6 Robert Jebb Hope Factory Racing V40 at 28.6
7 Daniel Guest Cotswold Veldrijden V40 at 1:04.5
8 Matthew Barrett Renvale RT V40 at 1:12.6
9 Tim Davies CC Abergavenny/JP Signs V40 at 1:17.6
10 Christopher Rathbone Individual Member V40 at 1:20.1
Over-50 Veteran Men:
Cat First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Chris Young Pedalsport Cycling Club V50 45:18.5
2 Pete Middleton www.Zepnat RTLazer V50 at 03.1
3 Richard Cross Stroud Valley Velos V50 at 53.3
4 Steven Davies Hargroves CyclesRidley RT V50 at 1:02.1
5 Grant Johnson Sunset Cycles V50 at 1:35.7
6 Brian Johnson Cestria Cycles RT V50 at 1:43.6
7 Kirby Bennett Team Jewson-M.I.Racing V50 at 1:46.3
8 Matt Wilson Mountain Goat Coaching V50 at 2:00.8
9 John Mein Derwentside CC V50 at 2:12.3
10 Keith Sheridan Cotswold Veldrijden V50 at 2:26.5
Youth:
Under-16 Boys:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Max Rushby Pedalsport Cycling Club MU16 30:35.8
2 Oliver Draffan Derwentside CC MU16 at 09.0
3 Marcus Holmes Lichfield City CC MU16 at 17.4
4 Lewis Askey RST Racing Team MU16 at 19.5
5 Charlie Craig SCOTT Racing MU16 at 21.4
6 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC MU16 at 47.1
7 Alec Gregory Leicestershire RC MU16 at 54.2
8 Isaac Peatfield Green Jersey RT MU16 at 58.4
9 Finn Mansfield The MI Racing Academy MU16 at 1:03.6
10 Ben Tulett Beeline-Gener8 MU16 at 1:05.9
Under-14 Boys:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Finlay Pickering Hull Thursday RC MU14 32:01.9
2 Freddy Birchill Southfork Racing.co.uk MU14 at 37.4
3 Joshua Giddings The MI Racing Academy MU14 at 1:02.8
4 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC MU14 at 1:03.0
5 Ben Chilton Derby Mercury RC MU14 at 1:12.9
6 Adam Bent Border City Wheelers MU14 at 1:13.1
7 Kieran Riley Langdale Lightweights RT MU14 at 1:52.2
8 Benjamin Peatfield Green Jersey RT MU14 at 2:00.6
9 Aidan Lawrence Eastlands Velo MU14 at 2:02.6
10 Joseph Blackmore Herne Hill Youth CC MU14 at 2:10.1
Under-16 Girls:
Cat First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Harriet Harnden T-Mo Racing FU16 27:30.5
2 Poppy Wildman SF Racing FU16 at 04.9
3 Ava Oxley-Szilagyi PH-MAS VCUK WCT FU16 at 05.1
4 Abbie Manley Solent Pirates FU16 at 37.9
5 Amy Perryman Solent Pirates FU16 at 38.0
6 Eluned King Towy Riders FU16 at 43.6
7 Katie Scott Cotswold Veldrijden FU16 at 1:14.3
8 Lauren Higham Welwyn Wheelers CC FU16 at 1:44.7
9 Maddie Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT FU16 at 1:44.6
10 Lucy Whearty Pedalsport Cycling Club FU16 at 2:02.5
Under-14 Girls:
Pos First Name Last Name Club Cat Finish
1 Millie Couzens Zappi's Cycling Club FU14 28:55.9
2 Anna Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT FU14 at 35.5
3 Charlotte-Louise McGreevy WXC World Racing FU14 at 49.7
4 Lotta Mansfield The MI Racing Academy FU14 at 54.0
5 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Whls FU14 at 1:34.9
6 Niamha Albones Liverpool Century RC FU14 at 1:48.4
7 Bethany Barnett Kings Lynn CC FU14 at 3:09.7
8 Isla Mason Redditch Rd&Path CC FU14 at 3:11.2
9 Emily Richards Bourne Whls CC FU14 at 4:15.0
10 Annabel Parker Matlock CC FU14 1 lap
