UK cyclo-cross/time trial round-up: East Midlands crowned Inter Area champs

North West rider Paul Oldham (Brian Jones/Kimroy Photography)

Hosts East Midlands were crowned the Inter-Area Team Cyclo-Cross Champions after the 2009 event was staged in Leicester on Sunday.

Despite the North West taking the first two places over the line in the senior result, East Midlands’ strength in numbers proved decisive, with six riders in the top 17 of the senior men’s race.

North West rider Paul Oldham – the 2009 National Trophy Series leader and last season’s champion – was first across the line and was followed 1:06 later by team-mate Rob Jebb, while East Midlands’ first rider was Dave Collins in third spot, another 27 seconds behind.

In other categories, Yorkshire won the veterans event led by Chris Young and Noel Clough of Keighley and Northallerton respectively, who were first and second over the line.

East Midlands also won the women’s event with Annie Last being first over the line, while Yorkshire took second and Eastern region third.

And Yorkshire also won the youth event, despite Sam Lowe winning the race for the East Midlands.

Adrian Lansley wins in Oxford

League leader Adrian Lansley maintained his superb start to the Wessex Cyclo-Cross League with victory in the fifth round in Oxford on Saturday.

The Pedal On rider from Southampton crossed the line alone and 28 seconds ahead of his nearest rival – and that was on a day where the event organisers boasted their biggest ever field of 118 riders.

However, Lansley didn’t have it all his own way.

Swindon Road Club rival Crispin Doyle led from the start, with Lansley on his wheel. But after two laps Doyle attacked and pulled away to cross the line 28 seconds ahead of Doyle, who nevertheless held on grimly for second spot.

Overnight rain had dried out by the time the racing began on a course at Oxford Community College on Cowley, which featured a good mix of technical sections and fast areas.

While Wheelbase rider Michael Cotty was third, Hargroves Cycles rider Matt McDonald just held off veterans Philip Roach (Coventry RC) for fourth spot, with the Midlands rider one of several getting in some last minute practice for the Inter-Area Team Championships in Leicester on Sunday.

Neil Crampton wins Condor Road Club event

After finishing third in the classic Three Peaks in Yorkshire last month, Crosstrax rider Neil Crampton showed his form once again when he won the Condor Road Club cyclo-cross event at Bradley Woods Scout Camp near Brighouse in West Yorkshire on Saturday.

The Leeds-based rider covered the ten laps in around an hour, and crossed the line one minute ahead of his nearest rival - team-mate at Crosstrax Simon Maudsley, while Peak Road Club's Dan Cook took third, another minute off the pace.

A large field of 69 riders tackled a challenging course at the venue which featured some technical areas in the woods as well as a climb up a flight of steps on each lap.

Cook was crowned top over-40 veteran in the race, while further down the field Adrian Watts of the Rossendale Road Club was best over-50 and Norton Wheelers' Lynn Bland was fastest woman, in 49th spot overall.

Seacroft Wheelers’ Nick Barnes won the youth race from Norton Wheelers’ Jake Ledger, while Leon Gledhill of Holme Valley Wheelers was fastest under-14 in fourth spot, and Wakefield Juniors Triathlon Club rider Lauren O'Brien was best of the girls.

Pete Tadros victorious in Sussex Cycling Association hill-climb

Pete Tadros brought the curtain down on his season with a comfortable victory in the Sussex Cycling Association hill-climb on Steyning Bostal in West Sussex on Saturday.

The In Gear-Quickvit RT rider, who was 14th in the National Championship the previous week after having been third at the half-way stage of the title race, found the 1,672-yard Steyning Bostall climb more to his liking.

He clocked 4:11.0 to win by 15.5 seconds from former British Best All-Rounder Nik Bowdler (Farnborough and Camberley CC) who was the best of the veterans on standard in the field.

Tyneside Vagabonds rider Paul Murphy made his long journey from the North East worthwhile with third spot, while elsewhere in the top ten Worthing Excelsior CC were the best team with Edward Klose, Paul Outhwaite and Carl Trevis finishing sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

It had been a misty morning prior to the event, but the sun burst through and warmed temperatures for the 17 per cent climb which was tackled in still conditions.

Bowdler was giving a first outing to a new bike on the climb, but he still had to settle for second and will no doubt tweak his new steed to perfection ahead of next season.

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