Oliver Stockwell took advantage of the time bonuses to claim stage victory and the overall title in the North West Youth Tour, while Eluned King also did enough to take the overall crown.
The third and final day of the 2018 North West Youth Tour was run in typical August Bank Holiday weather – grey skies, strong winds and the occasional shower.
Youth A Boys
The Under 16 Boys had the worst of the day’s weather, with a couple of blustery showers mixed in with the strong winds – but it was relatively pleasant compared to the previous stage.
The wind made it difficult to get away, though and the opening Youth race of the day saw a large bunch slowly thinned out as the laps rolled by.
With no climbs on the course, the King of the Mountains made way for a points competition and it was national champion and series leader Stockwell of Welwyn Wheelers who pipped general classification leader Jack Rootkin-Gray of Solihull CC to the first sprint win.
With time bonuses for the first three riders – and only a second separating the top two on GC at the start of the race – the points competition had the potential to affect the GC as well – and Rootkin-Gray was well aware. He took the second sprint from Stockwell – cancelling out the Welwyn rider’s slim advantage in the virtual GC.
Crucially, Stockwell took sprint three – and Rootkin-Gray’s failure to score put Stockwell ahead on the road.
The Solihull rider did score in the next sprint – taking third and a single second time bonus – but Stockwell took the win and another four seconds.
The final sprint saw another win for Stockwell with Rootkin-Gray only fourth meaning that the Solihull rider needed a gap on the final lap to claim the overall win.
He could not do so, and in fact it was Stockwell who was the fastest over the finish line, with teammate Joe Kiely second and Rootkin-Gray third.
That sealed the overall win by 17 seconds from Rootkin-Gray for the series leader.
Youth A Girls
The Under 16 Girls GC wasn’t quite as close as the Boys going into the final stage, but Towy Riders’ Eluned King only had a five-second advantage and, with the time bonuses in the points competition, she had her work cut out to defend it.
Still, King was consistently in the points at each of the sprints, with two thirds and one second spot to increase her lead heading into the final lap.
That meant that nearest rivals Abi Smith and Millie Couzens needed a gap to threaten the overall lead.
In the end it was Eve Barrow, the winner on the opening time trial, who took the sprint, ahead of Kinga Ingram and Alice Towers.
King came home 19th but in the leading group to clinch the overall victory by ten seconds from Smith with Couzens third.
Youth A Boys
Stage 3 Result
1 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 1:07:08
2 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC same time
3 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC st
4 Oscar Nilsson-Julien VC Londres st
5 Oscar Onley Squadra Scozzese st
6 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man st
7 Nick Jackson Giant Halifax Race Team st
8 Benjamin Peatfield Green Jersey RT st
9 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club st
10 Liam James-Morris Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
General Classification After Stage 3
1 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 2:23:10
2 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC @ 17 seconds
3 Max Poole Bike Box Alan @ 36
4 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC same time
5 Oscar Nilsson-Julien VC Londres st
6 Oscar Onley Squadra Scozzese at @ 39
7 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man @ 41
8 Finlay Pickering Wold Top Actif RT @ 42
9 George Ball Furness Flyers @ 54
10 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club st
Points Competition Overall Result
1 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC 24
2 Will Corkill Team RL360 Isle Of Man 15
3 Jack Rootkin-Gray Solihull CC 14
4 Oscar Nilsson-Julien VC Londres 7
5 Joe Kiely Welwyn Wheelers CC 4
6 Aaron Freeman Chelmer CC 3
Youth A Girls
Stage 3 Result
1 Eve Barrow Salt Ayre Cog Set 55:29
2 Kinga Ingram Halesowen A & CC same time
3 Alice Towers RST/Cycle Division Racing Team st
4 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles st
5 Ellen Bennett Welwyn Wheelers CC st
6 Ava Oxley-Szilagyi Wheelbase Cabtech Junior RT st
7 Danielle Parker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
8 Iona Moir Welwyn Wheelers CC st
9 Madelaine Leech Huddersfield Star Wheelers st
10 Maisy Vasic Pink Jersey Race Team st
General Classification After Stage 3
1 Eluned King Towy Riders 2:12:38
2 Abi Smith Clifton CC @ 10 seconds
3 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes Cycles @ 20
4 Kinga Ingram Halesowen A & CC @ 38
5 Flora Perkins VC Londres @ 45
6 Imogen Chastell VC Londres @ 59
7 Maisy Vasic Pink Jersey Race Team @ 1:02
8 Lucy Hart Mid Shropshire Wheelers @ 2:08
9 Eva Young Pedal Power RT @ 2:50
10 Flora Knight Pink Jersey Race Team @ 3:32
Points Competition Overall Result
1 Eluned King Towy Riders 13
2 Kinga Ingram Halesowen A & CC 10
3 Emma Finucane Towy Riders 10
4 Eva Young Pedal Power RT 8
5 Danielle Parker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 4
6 Flora Perkins VC Londres 4
Youth B Girls
Stage 3 Result
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 34:49
2 Imani Pereira-James East Kilbride Road Club @ 3:07
3 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers same time
4 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC st
5 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney st
6 Awen Roberts Towy Riders st
7 Eleanor Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club st
8 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff JIF st
9 Emma Jeffers Eastlands Velo st
10 Kiera Chan East Kilbride Road Club st
General Classification After Stage 3
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 1:30:10
2 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers @ 5:22
3 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC @ 5:25
4 Awen Roberts Towy Riders @ 5:39
5 Morven Yeoman East Kilbride Road Club @ 5:40
6 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney @ 7:00
7 Imani Pereira-James East Kilbride Road Club @ 7:03
8 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff JIF @ 7:07
9 Eleanor Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club same time
10 Lucy Dalgleish Salt Ayre Cog Set @ 8:37
Points Competition Overall Result
1 Zoe Backstedt Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 15
2 Imani Pereira-James East Kilbride Road Club 12
3 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers 6
4 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC 4
5 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff JIF 4
6 Anoushka Minale Cycling Club Hackney 3
Youth B Boys
Stage 3 Result
1 Ben Askey RST/Cycle Division Racing Team 46:43
2 Alfie Atterton Edinburgh RC same time
3 Jed Smithson WORX Factory Racing st
4 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC st
5 William Ryan Solihull CC st
6 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club st
7 Alex Barker Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
8 Zachary Walker Team RL360 Isle Of Man st
9 Olivier Mangham VC Londres st
10 Lewis Dolan Manilla GRN Cycling st
General Classification After Stage 3
1 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club 1:32:16
2 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 17 seconds
3 Olivier Mangham VC Londres @ 27
4 Joshua Tarling Team Backstedt/Hotchillee st
5 Noah Hobbs Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club @ 29
6 Nathan Hardy Welwyn Wheelers CC @ 31
7 Lewis Dolan Manilla GRN Cycling @ 35
8 Archie Ellen Edinburgh RC @ 36
9 Finley Douglas Rhyl Cycling Club @ 37
10 Jed Smithson WORX Factory Racing @ 38
Points Competition Overall Result
1 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC 9
2 Joshua Tarling Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 8
3 Noah Hobbs Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 6
4 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club 5
5 Finley Douglas Rhyl Cycling Club 5
6 Olivier Mangham VC Londres 4
