UCI Masters Cyclo-Cross Champs

 

There’s not many local cycling clubs that can boast a World Champion as a member but Condor Road Club rider John Ginley acheived this feat at the recent UCI World Masters Cyclo-Cross Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.  Ginley won the Over 70s category from fellow Brit Mick Ives (Team Jewson) but his race was not without incident as his tubular tyre rolled off his wheel rim on the penultimate lap & had to swap onto an unfamiliar spare bike for the last lap.

 

Read more about John's exploits on the British Cycling website

 

 

Gabz Cullaigh won the 50 lap points race at last Tuesday’s Premier Track League at Manchester Velodrome.  The RST Racing Team rider also got 3rd in the 64 lap Scratch race & 4th in the Devil Race in Group 2.  Top Huddersfield Pro rider Tom Murray (Sigmasport Specialized) was riding in Group 1 & his best results were 2nd in the 40 lap Scratch race, 3rd in the 64 lap Scratch race & 4th in the 50 lap Points race.  Murray & Alex Dowsett (Team Sky) are one of the favourites for this Saturday’s National Madison Championships at Manchester. 

 

 

Former Kirklees Cycling Academy rider Josh Cutler (RST Racing Team-Trigon) had an eventful evening track racing at Manchester in the First Division last Friday.  Cutler won the 12 lap Scratch race in Group 3 before crashing heavily in the next event, despite this he bravely fixed his bike, got patched up by the first aiders & went on to win the 20 lap Scratch race & will be racing in Group 4 this Friday.

 

 

Huddersfield Star Wheelers Club Dinner & Trophy Presentation Evening will be held on Saturday February 11th at Bradley Park Golf Club.  Tickets cost £18 & are available from Try Cycling in Kirkburton or from Club President Paul Smith 07739 879221.

National Trophy Shrewsbury Jan 15th

Very brief report this week as I'm too busy messing about on water slides at Centre Parcs:-)

 

 

Newly crowned National Cyclo-Cross Champions Louise Robinson (Stourbridge CC) & Abby Mae Parkinson (RST Racing Team-Trigon) continued their good form in the last round of the National Trophy Series at Shrewsbury on Sunday.  Robinson was a clear winner in the Women’s race with a massive lead of 1 min 21 seconds over her club mate Isla Rowntree & would surely have finished higher up the overall series standings had she started her racing comeback earlier & ridden the first 3 rounds.  Parkinson’s win was her second of the series & she finished 4th overall, one place ahead of Holme Valley Wheeler Amira Mellor who was 6th on Sunday.

 

Jake Womersley (Sportscover Altura RT) has had a promising first season in the Junior ranks, he finished 7th place & 7th place overall & is sure to be higher up the rankings next year.

 

Full report on the British Cycling Site

 

 

Holme Valley Wheeler John Hick won the Veterans race at the Ilkley Go-Cross on Sunday, Graham Piccavey (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) had one of his best results of the season finishing in 14th place.  Luca Longo (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) won the Under 8s race.

 

Full results on the YCCA site

National Cyclo-Cross Champs 2011/12

Huddersfield riders were on the top step of the podium at the National Cyclo-Cross Championships in Ipswich last weekend.  Abby-Mae Parkinson (RST Racing Team-Trigon) won the Under 16 Girl's race & Louise Robinson (Stourbridge CC) won the Veteran Women's race.

Parkinson was out in front from the beginning of her event with team mate Grace Garner, on the 2nd lap she broke clear & finished the race with a comfortable lead of 45 seconds from Garner in 2nd & Jessica Wilkinson (Birkenhead North End CC) in 3rd.  Holme Valley Wheeler Amira Mellor finished in 6th place.

Robinson, orginally from Mirfield, finished an impressive 5th place overall in the Womens race to take the Veterans prize with club mate Isla Rowntree was 2nd in this category.  This result is particularily noteworthy as Robinson has only come back to the sport relatively recently following her win in the 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross race in September.

Also in action was Robinson's nephew Jake Womersley (Sportscover Altura RT) riding in a highly competitive Junior race.  Womersley was in a 3 way battle for the Bronze Medal with Joe Moses (Paul Milnes RT) & Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale), unluckily Womersley pulled his foot out of his pedal & lost out to Moses & Armstrong in the sprint finish to get 5th place, still a brilliant result as he will still has another crack at the National title next year at Bradford before he moves up to the Senior ranks.  National Champion of 2010 Hugo Robinson (X RT/Elmy Cycles) retained his title with Alex Welburn (Cycle Shack/Forme Coaching) in 2nd place.

See full report on British Cycling website

The previous Monday the last Yorkshire Points Cyclo-Cross event took place at a water logged Centre Vale Park in Todmorden.  In the Under 16 Girls race Amira Mellor showed great form in winning ahead of Abby-Mae Parkinson on a very tough course which had several extremely muddy sections where riding was impossible & a steep cobbled climb.

Kirklees Cycling Academy riders Henry Hollyman & Adam Fortune were 1st & 3rd Boy in the Under 10s race.  Luca Longo (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) was 2nd in the Under 8s with Nathan Fortune (Kirklees Cycling Academy) in 3rd.

John Hick (Holme Valley Wheelers) was 8th in the Veterans race which was won by Chris Young (Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale), Young took the overall series win from his brother Mike in 2nd place.

Jake Womersley was the highest placed Huddersfield rider in the Senior/Junior race in 8th place & 3rd placed Junior.  Jack Clarkson (Hope Factory Racing) from Halifax dominated the race winning by over 2 minutes from Lewis Craven (Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale).

See report on BC site including some great photos of extremely muddy riders.

Former Holme Valley Wheelers Jacob Scott (Planet X) & Gabriel Cullaigh (RST Racing Team-Trigon) were in the thick of the action at Saturday's Revolution Track event at Manchester Velodrome, both Scott & Cullaigh were riding for the Chep UK team for the evening.  Scott's best result of the night was 3rd in the Elimination race which was won by Jake Ragan (Max Gear Racing).  In the 20 lap points race Chris Lawless (Max Gear Racing) & James Owen (Howies) broke clear of the bunch, Cullaigh bravely bridged the gap from the bunch to join the leaders & won enough points in the sprints to take a well deserved 3rd place.  Lawless, who is current National Circuit Race Champion, took the win.

Highlights of this event are on ITV 4 tonight at 7pm.