Report: Ken Wright Memorial RR
Event: 18th April 2010 | Report: Brett Travers
Images: Gallery by Martin Orpen
Sunday 18th April saw the second edition of the Ken Wright Memorial Road Race, promoted by VC Revolution as part of the Eastern Road Race League (ERRL), on a circuit based around Abberton Reservoir, just south of Colchester.
Sixty starters set off from Peldon village hall for this 60-mile race for second and third category riders on what was a warm and sunny spring morning. The race consisted of 5½ laps of an established 11-mile circuit linking the villages of Peldon, Abberton, Layer-de-la-Haye and Great Wigborough.
With very little wind to break-up the bunch on what is a relatively flat circuit, early aggressors were needed to set the race alight; race officials and riders' supporters were not to be disappointed. After half a lap of racing, Basil Moss (Cambridge CC) and Simon Asher (VC Norwich) held a small advantage over the chasing bunch as they passed through the finish area for the first time and Moss claimed the first prime.
Strong representations from East London Velo and Finchley Road Team ensured that the bunch remained active in its effort to chase the duo out front. However, a crash early in the race depleted the bunch of a number of noted ERRL protagonists, such as Will Hedden (Glade CC) and Dygby Symons (Cambridge CC).
Unaffected by this Moss and Asher continued their herculean 2-man battle to hold off the main pack. Their lead ebbed and flowed - a minute at most, 20 seconds at the least - as they effectively rode a 2-up 60-mile time trial, sharing primes in an attempt not to disrupt the rhythm of their break.
Having crossed the reservoir for the final time, Moss led Asher into the final 200 metres as Pam Wright, wife of the late Ken Wright, waved the chequered flag. Those wishing for a close finish were disappointed as Moss took the win ahead of Asher in an uncontested sprint.
Seven seconds later Malcolm Smith (St Ives CC), who had jumped away from the bunch in the closing stages, held off a Finchley Road Team bunch sprint master class, which was led by Lee Rowe.
Following the race the top-ten finishers received generous prizes supplied by Thomas Cycles and Makita Tools, which were presented in front of members of the Wright family.
RESULTS
1 Basil Moss Cambridge Cycling Club 11:46:10
2 Simon Asher VC Norwich 11:46:10
3 Malcom Smith St Ives CC 11:46:17
4 Lee Rowe Finchely RT 11:46:20
5 Trevor Burke Finchely RT 11:46:20
6 Dieter Rowe Finchely RT 11:46:21
7 David Brown Essex Roads CC 11:46:21
8 Andy Sanders Inverse Racing 11:46:21
9 Eric Gowland Cambridge Cycling Club 11:46:21
10 Daniel Zagni Ipswich Bicycle Club 11:46:21
11 Trevor Ormes Lotto Olympia Interbike 11:46:21
12 Darren Cainey East London Velo 11:46:21
13 Lee Desborough St Ives CC 11:46:21
14 Alan Lawrence VC Revolution 11:46:21
15 Sam Connolley Maldon & District CC 11:46:22
16 Martin Bryant PCA Ciclos Uno 11:46:22
17 Ben Brown Whitewebbs 11:46:22
18 Philip Hetzel Ipswich Bicycle Club 11:46:22
19 Russell Ford Glade CC 11:46:22
20 Tyler Denmead Cambridge Cycling Club 11:46:22
21 Daniel Crawley Crest CC - Ilford 11:46:22
22 Ronald Crawley Crest CC - Ilford 11:46:22
23 Triatan Emptage North Road CC 11:46:22
24 Daniel Scott Shaftesbury CC 11:46:23
25 Gavin Moore Stowmarket & District CC 11:46:23
26 Gonzalo Rodriguez East London Velo 11:46:23
27 Andrew Baker Lotto Olympia Interbike 11:46:24
28 James Wylie Lotto Olympia Interbike 11:46:24
29 Brad Lamb Glade CC 11:46:24
30 Philip Thomerson Glendene CC 11:46:24
31 Clive Richardson Chelmer CC 11:46:25
32 Martyn Dunnett Diss & District CC 11:46:25
33 Mark Porter Glade CC 11:46:26
34 Ben McCluskey Velo Club Baracchi 11:46:26
35 Andrew Elderfield VC Revolution 11:46:26
36 Edgar Medellin Finchely RT 11:46:27
37 Ian Samuel Crest CC - Ilford 11:46:27
38 Neil Vaughan VC Norwich 11:46:28
39 Thomas Doe VC Norwich 11:46:28
40 James Cocker East London Velo 11:46:33
41 Glenn Vinniecombe Cambridge Cycling Club 11:46:36
42 Robert Samuel Crest CC - Ilford 11:46:41
43 Richard Norris Lotto Olympia Interbike 11:46:41
44 Hamish Hore Maldon & District CC 11:46:41
45 Carmelo Luggeri CC Ashwell 1Lap
46 Digby Symons Cambridge Cycling Club 1Lap
47 Trevor Whittock Lea Valley CC 1Lap
48 Phil Jarvis Colchester Rovers 1Lap
49 Dave Williams Colchester Rovers 1Lap
50 Ian Badman-Dunphy Gateway Cycling 1Lap
Brett Travers Interview: Off The Front With Basil Moss
How long have you been road racing?
Last year was my first season. The year before that I just rode on the club runs; later in the year I started doing the evening time trials and trying to keep up on the chain-gang. Before that, I was never into any sports.
Was Sunday's win your first?
I won a crit at Hog Hill last year but was so surprised I didn't get my arms in the air over the line - it didn't seem real! So this one felt like my first win so it was really emotional. I've won a few club hill climbs over last couple of years.
Where did you attack and get the gap?
My teammates Digby [Symons], Tyler [Denmead] and Glenn [Vinniecombe] had been having a few digs as soon as it was deneutralised, and the field was strung out a bit. Eric [Gowland] came past and told me to get on his wheel and led me to the front telling me to go, so I rode pretty hard for a bit, but didn't really attack. Simon Asher came through and I said let's just go hard and string it out some more. The next thing I knew we had a gap, not quite half a lap in.
Were you hoping for more riders to come across to the break?
At first I was. We'd got well out of sight of the field and I said to Simon that we'd gone too far, so we eased back a bit to see if anyone would join us. It seemed impossible for the two of us to stay away all the way. In fact I was rather expecting we'd be caught any time soon and just hoping one of my mates would be ready to launch the counterattack as soon as we were. We agreed to share out the primes and just waited to see what would happen.
What was the hardest part of the course?
I don't think it's a very tough course, I was expecting it to end in a bunch sprint, as it's quite flat. I didn't think it was one that I could do well on for that reason, and was hoping for at least some wind to make things interesting. No part of it seemed particularly hard, but after a couple of hours it does start to wear you down.
Was it that you were doing more turns than Simon which led to him not sprinting?
We shared the work out very evenly all the way. But later on, he was dropping back a bit on the climbs; perhaps I was hitting them a bit overenthusiastically. I didn't want to ride on my own, so I waited and took them a bit easier after that. However, on the bell lap he explained to me that I could drop him on any of the climbs, so if I let him stay with me all the way he wouldn't contest the sprint. I was glad he said that because it meant we would both work all out all the way, not worrying about the finish, so we stood a better chance of staying away. He continued to take strong turns on the flat and did encourage me a couple of times to go on alone, but I didn't really want to - it would have been a shame after we'd worked so well all the way, if he had been caught by the field. In any case I was pretty much exhausted by then.
What are your aims for the season - 1st cat?
I wanted to win a race, so I've got that one done. I have some races I'm targeting, in particular the Ras de Cymru, a five day stage race in Wales. I really enjoyed that last year and would like to improve on my placing this year. As to 1st cat, it seems a bit inaccessible - 200 points is a lot and the elite fields are very strong this year. I do think though, that were I to get my 1st cat I'd have a hard time keeping it. I couldn't really travel all over the country to get to races every weekend, so I think if I were to get it I'd probably only keep it for a year. But it would be good to have done it.
Do you live in Cambridge?
I do live in Cambridge, having grown up in Royston and taken a degree in herbal medicine at the University of Central Lancashire. I practice Herbal Medicine, but my practice is quite small, so I also work at Addenbrookes Hospital in order to pay the bills and to gain more experience to supplement my degree.
