More Belgian Success For Young Brits

Hannah Walker takes a great win (more images at the foot of this report)

Bryan Taylor report from Belgium where he was watching a groupd of talented young British riders gaining experience of european racing conditions.

Bryan writes, after Harriet Owen's win on the previous junior trip to Belgium, Katie Fearnehough & Hannah Walker joined Hayley Edwards & Penny Rowson this time, & the mob took another win too.

On Saturday 19 September we headed for a 58km race at Muizen, on one of my favourite Belgium courses, with half of it on narrow & twisty lanes. The weather forecast of 14 degrees was considerably off the mark as it was already 28 degrees when we arrived at the town. Numbers were a little lower than previous races with 58 riders on the start line, & we had a gameplan to get a rider in any moves and to try attack on the drag in the closing laps.

The attacks started early with Hayley going clear in the opening kilometres, but nothing was sticking and aside from a number of riders dropped due to the constant attacking, it was all together at the bell and looking like being a bunch gallop. Hannah was at the back at this point, where she'd spent most of the race, hanging on and trying to get used to the different style of racing with the closed roads and big field making it hard to move up. But after a quick conversation with Penny confirming she was feeling good for the sprint, Penny sacrificed her own chances to go back with half a lap to go and drag Hannah through the bunch to get her to the front for the last tight corner before the finish straight.

As they came down the straight the remaining riders were spread across the road with the favourites starting to push ahead in the middle. But starting almost in the left hand gutter, Hannah timed her sprint to perfection to cross the line first to win the race overall as well as first in her age category. Behind her, Penny managed to hang on for 9th Junior & Hayley 13th junior. A visit to the podium to be interviewed and collect the flowers was a great way for Hannah to end her first Belgian race,  and top marks to Penny for playing the team role using her bunch skills to make room to get Hannah through to contest the sprint.

After an interesting night in Mechelen with a Russian choir turning up and singing to the girls, it was time to head just a few minutes drive to Kontich for the next race. Although it looks like a circuit where the result that favours the bunch sprinter, the last two occasions I was there it was won from a break, so we were looking to do similar again. It wasn't our day though, as despite getting in a number of attacks, with Katie in particular riding really well after a bad day Saturday, sitting near the front and getting in breaks, a group of 5 got away near the end. Katie got clear and tried to bridge to them but was brought back and the 5 stayed away with our girls finishing in the middle of the main bunch .

GROTE PRIJS VAN DE STAD MECHELEN

1.WALKER HANNAH GS SUROSA 01:40:24
2.HANNES KAAT BENELUX TEAM
3.BAMELIS SANNE PROV. AFD. WEST-VLAANDEREN WBV
4.STEGINK YMKE WVT LUCHTSCHIP
5.ROUSSE MARION ES GERVAIS LILAS
6.VAN LIERDE MORGANE
7.DE ROOVER ELINE W.C. VOS SPORTIEF SINT- LENAARTS
8.GHEERARDYN ANNE-LAURE MD CT TEAM
9.ROWSON PENNY THE MISCHIEF CARD
10.THONON MARIE-PIERRE
13.EDWARDS HAYLEY HALESOWEN

Interview time for Hannah Walker

Hayley at the front of the field

Hayley makes an attack

Waiting on the start