Steven Ward snatched the North East CCA league title away from club-mate Stuart Wearmouth with a dramatic victory in the final round of the series at HettonLyonsCountryPark near Sunderland on Sunday.
Ward was just one point behind Wearmouth in the overall rankings heading into the final round, run off at a snowy and ice-cold venue for the sixth and final round of the series, sponsored by Kudu Bikes.
The pair worked well together for the opening few laps and established a good gap over their rivals - but then they turned on each other.
Both took turns at the front trying to drop the other, and it was eventually Ward who proved victorious, breaking free with a couple of laps remaining and eventually crossing the line 44 seconds ahead of Wearmouth to take the overall victory.
In a good field of 42 riders for the senior event, organisers had pieced together a challenging course, but it had to be adapted slightly after an inch of snow fell on the course, making some areas treacherous.
The event attracted several riders from the Yorkshire region and one - Paul Milnes-Bradford Olympic RT rider Robert Watson - secured third spot, 1:34 behind winner Ward and just ahead of the first junior, Scot Kenta Gallagher (Scott UK) at 1:50.
Gallagher had a bad start, but worked his way back through the field and up to third spot, before problems on the final lap saw Watson overtake him.
Keswick Bikes rider Marie Stewart was fastest of the women, while top veteran was Matt Denby (Zepnat RT) who was sixth and just a minute faster than his nearest rival in that category, Yorkshire’s Noel Clough (Fietsen Tempo) in eighth spot.
Extreme Sports Therapy win at Essex
The Norwich-based Extreme Sports Therapy team won the end of season Team Championship which rounded off the East Anglian Daily Times League in Essex on Sunday.
EST – who provide experience for City College Norwich’s sports therapy department - put three members into the top five places, although David Nichols, riding for Chelmer Composite was first the individual home.
EST’s Shaun Aldous led for the first half-lap, before team mate Michael Raven hit the front. However Nichols, roaring fit for the forthcoming Belgian road season, soon asserted his dominance and had 1:10 in hand over Raven at the finish.
The course at Danbury Outdoors included some BMX berms, singletrack and grassland, some of it deceptively bumpy – EST’s third counter Glenn Stanford took a tumble when wiping mud out of his eye on a rough stretch. An initially hard frosty surface became slippery in places under pressure of wheels.
Nichols’ Chelmer Composite team took second place and an Ipswich Elite Vets team led by temporary import Phil Buick took third place ahead of Ipswich Seniors.
Hugo Robinson, lapping virtually as fast as Nichols, led a strictly Ipswich Bicycle Club team to the Youth win, ahead of "The A Team" of Alan Trolove, Sean Dunlea and Imogen Buick.
Altogether 132 riders took part, before gathering in the clubhouse for East Anglian Daily Times League prize presentation, where the awards list was headed by new league champion Andrew Nichols (Cambridge University CC).
Darren Barclay takes 15th round of London Cyclo-Cross League at Herne Hill
Notching up his fourth victory in the series, Darren Barclay (Arctic Premier RT) won the 15th round of the London Cyclo-Cross League at Herne Hill on Sunday.
Just seven seconds separated him from second-placed Taylor Johnstone, the talented junior rider with Team De Ver, while Barclay’s junior team-mate at Arctic Premier RT, Alec Briggs, was just another five seconds off the pace in third.
For Barclay it was a welcome boost to his overall tally in the league, having previously lay sixth, but his good recent form may have come too late to salvage the league title.
Whenever he has ridden a round of the league he has finished on the podium and as well as his four victories he also has two second spots and two third places to his name.
But his team-mate and current series leader Matt Holmes looks set to take the title, with just two rounds remaining.
In the early stages of Sunday’s race Pearson Cycles’ Matt Zeitz was the early leader after a storming first lap, but Barclay was soon into his stride although never led by much.
Mosquito Bikes’ Matt Seaton was top veteran having secured tenth place, while Team Corridori’s consistent rider Corrine Hall was again best woman.
Results
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