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Report: Brenig Road Race

Event: 8th May 2011
Promoted by: Rhos on Sea CC
Event HQ: Denbigh Football Club, Denbigh, North Wales
Report: Dave Mellor
Event Details

When two of the country's top Juniors escape the bunch you might be right in thinking that there is a good chance of success but when that escape is after only nine miles of racing with 56 miles of Welsh hills to go then you may also think they have bitten off more than they can chew.

This was the case in Sunday's Brenig Road Race promoted by the Rhos on Sea and the Welsh Cycling Union when Luke Grivell-Mellor, Mid Shropshire Wheelers and Ryan Mullen, Planet X escaped the bunch with Giles Drake, Team Elite. The boys worked hard and were rewarded at the end of a very hilly, windy race with sun and showers in equal measures. Giles deserved the unlucky rider prize as in his first road race and helping the Juniors to get a 1min 30sec over the chasers at the end of the big lap he punctured and ended up back in the bunch.

Behind the chase was on with Paramount's Dave Griffiths leading the charge, a few other riders getting organised and the bunch at 2mins 30 secs as the lead duo started the first of three 10 mile finish laps on the Llandyrnog circuit. On the finish circuit Dave Griffiths, Paul Bethell, Team Elite, ODP's Chris Latham, Planet X, and Buxton CC's Clark and McGuinness of Energy Cycles made a concerted effort but the lead continued to grow to three minutes plus at the finish.

Luke Grivell - Mellor didn't want to risk a sprint finish and so with three kilometres to go on a slight rise he kicked for home and Ryan Mullen said afterwards "I knew he was going to go there but I just couldn't respond, great ride!" In fact it was a great ride by both riders, a well organised race, a brilliant but hard course and a prize fund to match. Well done to all concerned.

Results

1. Luke Grivell-Mellor Mid Shropshire Wheelers
2. Ryan Mullen Planet X @ 45secs
3. Chris Latham Planet X @ 3mins
4 Paul Bethell Team Elite
5. Dave Griffiths Paramount CC
6. S. Clark Buxton CC
7. G. McGuinness Energy Cycles
8. Giles Drake Team Elite
9. S. Fidler WWW.Team
10. D. Lowe Team Elite

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British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.