3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross 2012

Having decided not to continue writing my Examiner cycling column I haven't updated this blog for a while but I thought after yesterday's 3 Peaks I'd make an exception & do a brief write up.

This year was my 2nd attempt so I knew what to expect, this is an advantage & a disadvantage as you have a better idea what training & preparation to do but you also know what a bonkers event it is & therefore I was way more nervous.  Not helping the nerves was a shocking forecast for race day, I kept looking at the forecast in the days leading up to it but it never got better, in fact it got worse & with the recent rainfall in the area conditions were always going to be soggy.

We got to Helwith Bridge nice & early & I thought I had a good position on the start line but by the time we started I was somewhere in the middle as loads of riders had pushed their way to the front.  On the first road section I was flying, making up loads of places & dodging the inevitable crashes, got to the bottom of Ingleborough in good shape & more importantly ahead of club mate Graham Piccavey & Huddersfield Road Club's Andy Whitworth & Owen Mitton.

Simon Fell was ridiculous as always, so blimmin steep it's untrue & the wind was horrendous blowing us all over the place.  It was a slow slog to the top of Ingleborough where Graham & Andy passed me before we tackled the descent.  I'd been working on my descending so didn't do too badly even passing a few people which never happened last year.

Always nice to get to Cold Cotes & say hello to Emily & the support crew of Graham's other half Diane, daughter Sam & her other half Richard?, not forgetting the dog, who's name I've forgotten.  Didn't need anything so got on with catching Graham on the road to Whernside.  Got with a nice fast group but slightly too fast, we caught Graham but I was knackered by the time we hit the climb so started to drop back.  The rain had gone from a drizzle to pi$$ing down by the point, at the top it was sideways hail!!  Staggered up the climb & then came the slightly scary bit of riding across the top with a left to right gale force crosswind trying to avoid getting blown into the ravine to the right.

Descent was OK better than last year as I rode a lot more, very very wet though so changed gloves & waterproof at Ribblehead.  Stuck my Royal Mail showerproof coat on & Emily's ski gloves grabbed a couple of gels & cracked on.  Matt Enticknap from Malton Wheelers rolled past & we worked together to the bottom of Pen-Y-Ghent where he packed as his pedal was bust.

By this time all thoughts of catching Graham or getting a fast time where out of the window, just wanted to get to the top & get to the finish.  I rode as much of the climb as possible, then walked/staggered to the top which never seemed to get any nearer, just went on for ever & sideways rain/hail was ever present.  Eventually got there to get my dibber dibbed by the marshalls.  The marshalls yesterday were absolutely brilliant, it's one thing riding this race but to stand at the top of a mountain for several hours in those conditions is something else.

Forgot to mention the infamous puddle near the bottom of PYG which was about 2ft deep when we rode up but possibly another foot deeper by the time we rode down.  I say rode down more like waded through, was soaking wet by this time so it didn't really matter.  Descended pretty well once I'd got past the tricky bits near the top then just had a few miles of road to ride before the finish.

That has got to be one of the hardest days on a bike I've ever done but still enjoyed it in a weird way.  Roll on 2013.

Here are the times of the Huddersfield riders.  Rob Jebb won the event in 3 hours 9 minutes, an outstanding time in good weather let alone the horrendous conditions yesterday.

140	David Beachill	Huddersfield RC/Salamander Fabrications	M	Finish	14:02:53	04:32:53
141	Ivan Boyes	Huddersfield Star Wheelers	M	Finish	14:28:27	04:58:27
376	Owen Mitton	Huddersfield RC/Salamander Fabrications	MV40	Finish	14:27:50	04:57:50
377	Andy Whitworth	Huddersfield RC/Salamander Fabrications	MV40	Finish	14:21:52	04:51:52
378	Giles Bailey	Huddersfield Star Wheelers	MV40	Finish	14:52:48	05:22:48
379	John Docker	Huddersfield Star Wheelers	MV40	Finish	15:08:22	05:38:22
380	Peter Dukes	Huddersfield Star Wheelers	MV40	Finish	14:45:06	05:15:06
381	Graham Piccavey	Huddersfield Star Wheelers	MV40	Finish	14:12:54	04:42:54
611	Timothy Beachill	Huddersfield RC/Salamander Fabrications	MV50	Finish	14:21:18	04:51:18

Womersley Wins in Newcastle

Jake Womersley (Sportscover Altura RT) had his first win of the 2012 season in the Newcastle Leazes Criteriums last Friday. Racing in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Cat event round a tricky course in Leazes Park, Newcastle, Womersley just edged out Karl Denton (Blumilk RT) in the bunch sprint. The Mirfield youngster is obviously in good form following his 2nd place in the support race at Otley Town Centre races 2 weeks ago.

Another local rider in top form is VS Cycles Ben Kellett who won the Ron O’Brien Memorial Road race for 2nd, 3rd & 4th Cat riders on Sunday in Merseyside. Kellett won the 50 mile race by 100 yards from 2nd place rider Mark Perry (Dirtwheels Cycles). Former Holme Valley Wheeler Jacob Scott (Planet X) finished in 8th place.

The 5th round of the Yorkshire Summer Cyclo-Cross series took place in Harrogate last Wednesday. Once again Pedalsport riders took the first 4 places in the Under 14s race with Matt Taylor getting the win. Huddersfield Road Club’s Tom Whitworth was 10th, Huddersfield Star Wheeler Luca Longo was 2nd Under 8 Boy, club mates Ella Hampson & Katie Shaw were 2nd Under 10 Girl & 2nd Under 8 Girl respectively.

90 riders were on the start line for the Over 14s race, John Hick (Holme Valley Wheelers) was best of the local riders with 7th place & the winner was Billy Harding (Paul Milnes RT). There was a great battle between Huddersfield Road Club’s Andy Whitworth & Owen Mitton with Lee Brown (Holme Valley Wheelers). Brown had had a fantastic result the previous night at Brighouse Town Centre races where he finished in 3rd place in the 3rd & 4th Cat race. Whitworth finished ahead of Brown & Mitton in 27th position.

The next event is next Wednesday at Brooksbank School, Elland. Under 14s start at 7pm, Over 14s race at 7.30pm.

Otley Crits

There were some fantastic performances from local riders at the Otley Town Centre Races last Wednesday night. The event which featured the National Circuit Race Championships as the finale to the evenings racing. New Mill youngster Gabriel Cullaigh (RST Racing Team) started the evening in fine style winning the Under 16 boys event by half a wheel in an extremely tight bunch sprint from Fabio Close (Velocity RT) with Leon Gledhill (BBM Revolution CC) from Shepley in 3rd place. Cullaigh’s team mate Abby Mae Parkinson from Liversedge was 2nd in the Under 16 girls which was won by Melissa Lowther (Aire Valley RT). Kirklees Cycling Academy rider Lucy Aldridge had her best ever result in a road race taking 3rd place in the Under 14 girls race, Henrietta Colbourne (Beacon Wheelers) was first across the finish line.

In the Chevin Cycles Classic race for 2nd, 3rd & 4th riders Mirfield’s Jake Womersley (Sportscover Altura RT) was never far from the front & after 45 minutes just missed out to Lee Tunnicliffe (Clay Cross RT) in the sprint finish. Michael Collins (RST Racing Team) was looking good in the leading group until a crash on the final lap put him out of contention.

The National Championship race was blisteringly fast & was won by Endura’s Scott Thwaites. Huddersfield professional Tom Murray (IG SIgmasport) was 11th place, Holme Valley youngster Jacob Scott (Planet X) had a great ride holding his own with the best riders in the country in only his first year as a Junior rider.

Mark Thaxter (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) clocked a personal best & club record in the Walsall CC 25 mile Time Trial last Saturday. Despite a strong headwind on the outward leg Thaxter knocked 51 seconds off his previous best to win the event in 50 min 28 sec, over 30 seconds faster than 2nd placed rider Adam Gascoigne.

Kippax Cyclo-Cross

The 4th round of the Pedalsport Summer Cyclo-Cross series took place at Oakbank School, Kippax last Wednesday. The Under 14s were first to race & once again the Pedalsport youngsters dominated with Matt Taylor getting the better of Max Rushby in 2nd & Jenson Young in 3rd. Best of the Huddersfield riders was Huddersfield Road Club’s Tom Whitworth in 7th place. James Thompson (Team Hope Racing) won the Over 14s race making light work of a tough course, John Hick (Holme Valley Wheelers) was 4th. Andy Whitworth (Huddersfield RC) was 20th in his first race after an injury, Lee Brown (Holme Valley Wheelers) wasn’t far behind in 21st & Huddersfield Star Wheeler Ivan Boyes had his best result this season in 26th place.

 

In the Overall standings the best placed local riders are Tom Whitworth, 5th in the Under 14s & Ivan Boyes, 11th in the Over 14s.

 

Event 5 in the series is at Killinghall Moor Country Park, Harrogate next Wednesday June 26th. Under 14s start at 7pm, Over 14s at 7.30pm.

 

 

Former Holme Valley Wheeler Jack Ford (Wakefield Junior Tri) won the Under 12s race at Darley Moor Motor Racing Circuit near Ashbourne on Saturday, Mason Hollyman (KCA) was 2nd & Jim Brown (Holme Valley Wheelers) was 3rd. Shepley youngster Leon Gledhill was 4th in the 3rd & 4th Category event with Lee Brown in 5th place, the race was won by Jonny Noton (Clay Cross RT).

 

Next Tuesday evening sees the welcome return of the VS Cycles Brighouse Circuit races. First race of the night is the Under 16s & Under 14s at 7pm followed by a race for 3rd & 4th Cat riders then a star studded Elite race featuring many of the top British based pro riders as seen in the recently televised Tour Series on ITV4.

Holme Valley Wheelers 2 Day

Holme Valley Wheelers organised a 2 Day stage race for Elite, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Cat riders last weekend. Friday’s 33mile road stage in Honley was cut short by 3 laps due to heavy rain & fading light. Ben Ives (WeLoveMountains) took a well deserved win & the leader’s yellow jersey after 12 ascents of the 18% climb of Bradshaw road, only 15 riders were left in the leading group and many were lapped or didn’t make it to the finish. Jacob Scott (Planet X) was best of the local riders in 12th place, an impressive result for the former Holme Valley Wheeler.

The weather hadn’t improved much on Saturday morning for the 10 mile Time Trial on the Sovereign course, the riders faced more rain & a strong headwind in the final half of the race. James Gullen (Metaltek-Scott) recorded a lightning quick time of 22min 33sec, enough to move into the overall lead going in to the final 55 mile road race stage on the Denby Dale course. Alastair Hepworth (Batley CC) from Kirkburton was fastest local rider in 25min 5sec.

Metaltek-Scott team mates Tom Barras & Simon Wilson finished over 3 minutes in front of their nearest rivals after 55 miles of racing in the afternoon. Wilson claimed the overall victory with James Gullen in 2nd & Ben Ives in 3rd place. Local rider Ben Kellett (VS Cycles) had looked strong throughout the race but had to drop out of the final stage as he was totally exhausted. Former Holme Valley Wheeler Richard Binks (Clay Cross RT) finished in 20th overall & described the race as the “hardest race he’d done in years”. Jacob Scott finished in 12th place overall, one place ahead of Mirfield’s Jake Womersley (Sportscover Altura RT)

As well as the 2 day race Holme Valley Wheelers promoted an Open 10 Mile Time Trial which took place between stages 2 & 3. World Champion track rider Laura Trott (Matrix Fitness-Prendas) was the star attraction winning the ladies prize in a record time of 24min 34sec. Alastair Wareham (Team Swift) was fastest with a time of 22min 12sec, Huddersfield Star Wheeler Andrew Pearson was 4th in 24min 41sec. Wareham will surely lower the course record this year if he gets more favourable conditions.

Here are the times for the HVW Sovereign TT League for last Wednesday.

1st Ben Kellett (VS Cycles)  23:31
2nd Gareth Owen (Team Swift) 24:39
3rd Jacob Scott (Planet X) 24:38
4th Chris Harris (HVW)26:00
5th Andrew Kerry (HVW) 27:01
6th Rachael Mellor (HVW) 27:05 (1st lady)
7th Derek Johnstone (HVW) 27:31
8th Gordon Moss (HVW) 28:15

John Hick (Holme Valley Wheelers) was 3rd place in the Seniors race in the latest round of the Yorkshire Summer Cyclo-Cross series at Colne Valley High School on Wednesday. Race organiser Andy Whitworth designed a tough & gruelling course for the 73 riders that took part. The race was won by Rob Thackray (Paul Milnes RT) with Mike Young (Pedalsport CC) only just getting the better of Hick in a close battle for 2nd place. Holme Valley Wheeler Lewis Byram was fastest Under 16 rider in 21st place with club mate Lee Brown in 24th, Ivan Boyes was fastest of the Huddersfield Star Wheelers in 30th position.

Pedalsport CC riders dominated the Under 14s race with riders in the top 4 positions, Jenson Young was first across the line. Jim Brown (Holme Valley Wheelers) was first of the local riders in 5th place & Huddersfield Road Club’s Tom Whitworth was in 9th position & Hannah Whitworth was 2nd placed Under 10 Girl. Alex Bailey (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) was 2nd Under 8 Boy.

Kirklees Cycling Academy held their first Go-Ride race of the year at Spen Valley Sports College on Thursday. On an extremely wet night riders representing 4 different clubs competed in 2 Cyclo-Cross races & despite the weather thoroughly enjoyed the evenings racing. Pedalsport rider Oliver Walton was 1st boy in the Expert group with Ruby Boyes 1st placed girl. In the Beginner group Rebecca Rosser (East Bradford CC) narrowly beat Kate Shaw (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) into 2nd place.

This Thursday Kirklees Cycling Academy are organising a Go-Ride race at Richard Dunns Sports Centre in Bradford. Racing will start at 7pm contact Ivan on 01484 302846 for more information.

Photos from the HVW 2 Day, Open 10 & the Cyclo-Cross at Colne Valley on the Flaming Photography website.

Gabz Wins North West Youth Tour

Gabriel Cullaigh (RST Racing Team-Trigon) took his best win of the season winning the North West Youth Tour. Taking place over the bank holiday weekend the event featured 2 races on Saturday & Sunday at circuits in Preston & Lancaster then a longer race in Blackpool on Monday. The best Youth riders in the country were competing as well as International teams including a team from the Czech Republic. Despite winning 2 stages in the previous 2 days Cullaigh went into the final stage in 2nd place behind Charlie Tanfield (Velo 29), but the Holme Valley youngster won the bunch sprint in a frenetic last stage to take 2nd place behind Czech rider Pavel Camrda who won by just 5 seconds. Thanks to time bonuses Cullaigh pipped Tanfield to the overall prize by just 4 seconds.

Kellett in action in sunnier weather

Ben Kellett took his first road race win on Sunday in the Ian Mountain Memorial event for Elite, 1st & 2nd Cat riders on the Sharlston course near Wakefield. The VS Cycles rider got in an early break with 4 other riders, including Yorkshire Junior Road Race Champion Joe Moses & his team mate Rob Sharman (Sportscover Altura RT). The breakaway riders never looked back despite the heavy rain & soon built up a substantial lead on the main bunch. Halfway round the last lap of the 60 mile race Kellett attacked & his breakaway companions couldn’t respond as he accelerated away & took a fine solo win.

Kellett’s team mate Alex Orell-Turner finished in 4th place in the Eric Biddulph Memorial Road Race promoted by Huddersfield Star Wheelers on the Birdsedge course on Sunday. Conditions in this race for 3rd & 4th Cat riders were so awful that the race was shortened by 1 lap. Sheffrec rider Jonathan Wolff was off the front for pretty much the whole race, for the first few laps Matt Armitage (VS Cycles) rode with him but then dropped back to the bunch. Nick Coupland (WeLoveMountainsCC) broke clear of the bunch to join Wolff for the last half of the race & they never looked like being caught with Coupland just edging out Wolff in the 2-up sprint for the finish line. Only 15 riders were left in the bunch from the 45 that started & it was Simon Maudsley (RVO Racing) who took 3rd place closely followed by Orell-Turner.

 

Holme Valley Wheelers are promoting a 2 day race this weekend. Friday evening’s stage takes place on an extremely hilly course in Honley featuring 14 ascents of the killer climb of Bradshaw Lane. Saturday will see the riders compete in a 10 mile time trial on the Sovereign Course followed by a 55 mile road race on the Denby Dale course. A full field of 60 riders are on the start sheet with many local riders taking part.

Kirklees Cycling Academy are organising 5 Go-Ride races this Summer, the first is a Cyclo-Cross event this Thursday at Spen Valley High School, Liversedge. This event is for novice riders under 16 years old, each entrant will do at least 2 races. Racing will start at 7pm & will cost £2.50, for more information contact Ivan on 07527 810086.

Batley CC Road Race May 27th

It was a tough morning in the saddle for the riders in the Batley CC Road Race at Hartshead on Sunday. Right from the off in the 66 mile race for 2nd, 3rd & 4th Cat riders breaks were going up the road but it was in the final 4 laps that the decisive split occurred with 8 riders getting clear of the bunch. This group included 3 riders from Brighouse based team VS Cycles, Ben Kellett, Matthew Armitage & Paul Dixon. Despite the group splitting briefly going into the last lap it came back together for the sprint with Ben Ives (We Love Mountains) just getting the win ahead of David Shackleton (Wilsons Wheels), Ben Kellett led home the VS Cycles trio in 3rd place, Dixon was 4th & Armitage 5th.

Here's some photos

There was a strong showing from local youth riders in Round 2 of the White Rose League at Richard Dunns, Bradford last Wednesday. Felicity Gledhill (Planet X) from Shepley won the time trial & the circuit race in the Under 12 Girls, older brother Leon was 2nd in a highly competitive Under 16 Boys circuit race, narrowly beaten by Levi Moody (Pedalsport). Abby Parkinson (RST Racing Team) from Liversedge & Amira Mellor (Holme Valley Wheelers) were 2nd & 4th respectively in the Under 16 Girls event, Melissa Lowther (Aire Valley RT) was first over the line.

Shelley youngster Jack Ford (Wakefield Junior Tri) was 3rd in the Under 12 Boys circuit race which was won by Nathan Hawthorne (Cycle Sport Pendle), Holme Valley Wheeler Jim Brown was 4th & Mason Hollyman (Kirklees Cycling Academy) finished in 6th place. Kirklees Cycling Academy riders Adam Fortune & Henry Hollyman were 3rd & 4th in the Under 10 Boys & Nathan Fortune was 2nd in the Under 8 Boys.

See report on Gabz Cullaigh on Examiner website

Any young cyclists who are at a loose end over half term should have a look at these links to coaching sessions run by Yorkshire Go-Ride coaches Chris Young & Kim Meadows.

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events ... aching-U16

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events ... k-Coaching

The next round of the Yorkshire Summer Cyclo-Cross series takes place at Colne Valley High School on Wednesday 6th June.  Under 14s at 7pm, Over 14s at 7.30pm.

Kirklees Cycling Academy are organising some Go-Ride racing at Spen Valley High School on Thursday.  See link for details.