Location: Stokesley, North Yorkshire
Event: 25 September 2011
Report: Snowdon Sports
Team Raleigh's Matt Cronshaw secured victory in the 2011 Mike Binks Memorial after holding off his breakaway companions at the end of a windy 75-mile race in North Yorkshire on Sunday.
While the event was dry, strong winds battered the riders as they took in nine laps of a circuit around the picturesque village of Stokesley and the surrounding areas. But there was little chance for them to admire the scenery.
Six riders attacked in the early stages, and their lead grew steadily until, as they headed for the final couple of laps, they had a growing lead around about three minutes on the chasing bunch.
The pace caused a few to drop off the back of the leaders, but the majority stayed clear as they headed for the line, and in the last few hundred yards it was Cronshaw, the 22-year-old from Carnforth in Lancashire, who proved strongest.
He held off Sigma Sport's Kit Gilham, 31 and from York, to take the win, while Motorpoint Pro Cycling's James Sampson was just behind in third spot.
Herbalife's Stuart Reid and Scott McCrossan (Endura-Pedal Power) had just fallen behind slightly, while the bunch was led in by Cycle Premier-Metaltek's Tom Barras, around five minutes off the pace.
Results:
1 Matt Cronshaw (Team Raleigh) 3:05:00
2 Kit Gilham (Sigma Sport)
3 James Sampson (Motorpoint Pro Cycling) all @ same time
4 Stuart Reid (Herbalife-Wheelbase) @ 30sec
5 Scott McCrossan (Endura-Pedal Power) @ same time
6 Tom Barras (Cycle Premier-Metaltek) @ 5:00
7 Alistair Kay (Herbalife-Wheelbase)
8 Gary Hand (Endura-Pedal Power)
9 Neil Beasley (Beeston RC)
10 Jamie Kennedy (Glasgow Couriers)
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.
