Wales’ Oscar Mingay secured overall victory in the Screentek International Junior Tour of the Mendips as London Dynamo’s Tobias Dahlhaus won Sunday’s final stage.
Heading into the day with just a one second lead, Mingay finished on the same time as Dahlhaus to secure the overall victory in the British Cycling Junior Road Series event.
Mingay’s win was built around his prologue time trial win on Saturday morning, with the race having been affected by a crash on Saturday afternoon’s Stage 1, meaning results were neutralised.
George Wharton, who had gone down heavily in Saturday’s crash and was kept in hospital overnight as a precaution, was a welcome sight on the side of the road on Sunday as he cheered his Spokes Racing Team colleagues on.
And a finish in the pack for Mingay was good enough for him to take the overall victory – much to his surprise.
Mingay's surprise
“I wasn’t expecting the result I got in the Time Trial, but when I was riding my legs just felt really good – like, just floating,” he said.
“Then on the first stage there were lots attacks going, but it was sort of negative – it just kept coming back together and coming back together.
“My team mates James and Sam and Joe did lots of work chasing down groups off the front – so a big shout out to them.
“And then it was a real big shame that we had to finish that stage early because of the accident, but fortunately the rider’s OK.
“Then that last stage on Sunday – I knew it was going to kick off, but I knew I had good legs, so all I had to do was stay near the front.”
Sunday's action
Stage 2 began with a long drag up Burrington Combe that soon had riders being spat out the back of the peloton.
And two thirds of the way up the climb Dahlhaus, Wales’ Daniel Coombe and Backstedt Cycling’s Daniel Coombe broke clear to take the King of the Mountains (KoM) points on offer – but they were soon back in the field as the road turned downwards.
When the gradient started getting steeper it was Mingay that took the KoM points atop Rhodyate Hill with the field spread out along the length of the climb.
Dalhaus was third over the top with Bike Box Alan’s Mason Hollyman going over in second, but once again a sizable bunch had reformed by the final climb up Harptree Hill.
They crested it together but split on the run in to the finish and it was Dalhaus who held off Hollyman to take the sprint, with Cycle Sport Dynamo’s George Kimber taking third.
Mingay, who rode two stages in the leader’s jersey, came home in the leading bunch which was more than enough to secure the overall victory – with the Welsh rider having finished 40s ahead of Dahlhaus in the Ssaturday’s prologue.
Kimber’s third place on Stage 2 lifted him to second overall, 18 seconds behind Mingay – with Thomas Bostock of Equiom IOM Junior Ccycling Team third, a further eight seconds back.
Dahlhaus did get more reward for his day out, too, by taking home the King of the Mountains title with a total of 25 points, 11 ahead of Hollyman with Mingay third on 11.
Stage 2
1 Tobias DahlHause London Dynamo 1:55:36
2 Mason Hollyman Bike Box Alan same time
3 George Kimber Cycle Sport Dynamo st
4 Joe Swinnerton Swinnerton Cycles st
5 Oscar Mingay Wales st
6 Harry Hardcastle Wheelbase Cabtech Junior RT @11 seconds
General Classification
1 Oscar Mingay Wales 2:06:04
2 George Kimber Cycle Sport Dynamo @18 seconds
3 Thomas Bostock Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team @ 26
4 Harry Hardcastle Wheelbase Cabtech Junior RT same time
5 Liam Davies Catford CC Equipe Banks st
6 Joe Swinnerton Swinnerton Cycles st
King of the Mountains
1 Tobias Dahlhaus London Dynamo 25 points
2 Mason Hollyman Bike Box Alan 14
3 Oscar Mingay Wales 11
