Mike Cuming set for national hill climb
Team Raleigh rider Mike Cuming pulled out of the North Lancashire Road Club hill-climb on Sunday, complaining of a cough and cold which could threaten his chances of glory in the National Championships in Worcestershire on Sunday.
Cuming, the 19-year-old rider from Stoke, withdrew at the last minute in a bid to recover in time for Sunday’s title race on Dovers Hill, a 1,438-yard climb at Weston Sub Edge near Evesham.
He has had great form for several weeks now and is a likely contender for a podium place, but a full-blown cold would damage his chances of glory.
There was no sign of illness on Saturday however, when he won the Nelson Wheelers climb of Annals Cross, over a 1,620-yard climb at Barley in Lancashire.
Cuming won that event by 2.6 seconds from Blackburn & District CTC rider Ian Stott, while his team-mate Carl Helliwell took third place, another 13 seconds off the pace.
With Chris Edmondson fifth, Blackburn & District CTC took the team prize, and will be aiming to do the same in the National Championships on Sunday.
Stott and Helliwell had to settle for second and third again on Sunday, in the North Lancashire Road Club climb of Nick O’Pendle over a 1,340-yard climb which is similar in length to the course for Sunday’s title race.
With Cuming a non-starter, victory went to Dulwich Paragon’s Matthew Pilkington with 4:14.8, while Stott was second by around nine seconds, and Helliwell another 2.3 seconds slower.
In both events, Yorkshire Road Club’s Mark Wilkinson was fastest of the women, while Herbalife’s Jonathan Knox was top junior in both the Nelson Wheelers and North Lancashire Road Club events.
Similarly, Carlo Berton (Border City Wheelers) was top veteran in both, while top juvenile was James Knox (Kent Valley Wheelers). And Blackburn and District Wheelers also won the team prize on Sunday.
Pettinger on fire on Ripponden Bank
Another contender for glory in the National Championships, Tejvan Pettinger flew up the Ripponden Bank climb in West Yorkshire on Sunday to win the Huddersfield Road Club promotion.
Staged on a 1,320-yard course which is similar in length to the Dovers Hill course being used for this year’s national title race, Oxford-based Pettinger (Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team) won by almost 24 seconds to take an impressive victory over Bristol South CC’s Paul Jones in second spot.
The best of the local riders was Andrew Pearson (Huddersfield Star Wheelers) who took third spot, another 11 seconds off the pace, while Scarborough Paragon CC’s Dave Thompson was fourth, another three seconds slower.
Michael Smith wins Matlock two stage
Team Corley Cycles’ Michael Smith completed his preparations for the national championships with overall victory in the Matlock Cycling Club two-stage event in Derbyshire on Sunday.
Smith won the opening stage by 3.7 seconds from Kenilworth Wheelers’ rival Steven Allen, while South Pennine Road Club’s Charles Taylor was another 1.3 seconds off the pace in third.
The Riber course was 30 metres shorter than the usual length because of road works, but the majority of the course was trouble free, with only the cold autumn wind causing problems to the riders.
The same riders finished in the same order in the second stage, over the shorter climb of Bank Road, with Smith clocking 1:53.8 and taking victory by just 0.9 seconds from Allen, while Taylor was another 3.1 seconds off the pace.
Those results meant that Smith won the overall by 4.6 seconds, while Allen was second and Taylor another 4.4 seconds off the pace in third.
Overall, top veteran was Matt Blythe (Team Nemesis GB) with a time of 6:30.4 for 16th spot, while Stone Wheelers’ youngster Joe Corden was top junior, his combined time of 6:35.8 giving him 18th overall.
Matlock CC’s talented under-14 rider Arthur Green rode well in both stages to finish 25th with 7:00.7, while Claire Cook of Paramount CRT was best woman in 33rd place.
Steve Dennis takes Brighton Mitre 25
East Grinstead CC’s Steve Dennis proved a convincing winner of the Brighton Mitre CC’s late season 25-mile time trial on Sunday, staged on the G25/93 course at Steyning in West Sussex.
Dennis clocked 53:04 to win by 1:20 from High Wycombe CC rival Adam Topham, while Conall Yates (In Gear-Quickvit-Trainsharp RT) completed the podium with 55:08 for third spot.
Yates led In Gear-Quickvit to the team prize alongside colleagues Richard Gifford, who was eighth overall with 58:02, and Jason Le Goff who clocked 1:02:46.
Multiple national champion Carole Gandy (Born to Bike) was fastest of the women, clocking 1:03:43, while top junior was Brighton Excelsior’s Nicholas Smith, whose time was just outside a top ten placing.
Cyclo-cross
Barclay wins Eastern Cyclo-cross League 6
Darren Barclay (Arctic Premier RT) had a comfortable win in the sixth round of the Eastern Cyclo-Cross League at Davy Down in the Thames Gateway district of Thurrock.
Nathan Miller (XRT/Elmy Cycles) led for the first three laps, at the head of a group including Barclay, Andy Nichols (Cambridge University CC), Andy Waterman and Kevin Knox (both Dulwich Paragon), Shaun Aldous ((Extreme Sports Therapy) and Gary Lingard (CC Hackney).
On the fourth lap Miller faded and Barclay attacked. Soon Nichols, who had been racing in Belgium the day before, retired, Waterman stopped to clear stray tape from his front wheel while first Knox and then Lingard slipped back. From then on Barclay was clear away.
Miller, still second, looked to be dropping Aldous, but the Extreme Sports Therapy man regained contact, though Miller won their sprint for the runner-up spot.
Riders enjoyed a fine sunny day on the varied Davy Down course which featured two flights of steps and a bridge across a pond.
Fifty-seven year old Bruce Robinson (Shaftesbury CC) just back from some continental pass-storming, made short work of Davy Down’s singletrack climb and won the non-elite veterans’ race, 22 seconds ahead of Round 4 winner Lee Desborough, who was unlucky to strip his block on the last lap.
Alan Trolove (West Suffolk Wheelers) won the Youth race while Daniel and Ben Tulett (Palmer Park Velo) scored a 1- 2 victory in the Under 12s.
Bowers triumphs in Wessex League 5
Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles) mastered a technical course to take victory in the fifth round of the Wessex League, the Bill Higson Memorial Cross in Reading on Sunday.
Bowers was part of a break which went clear on the first lap. First up the climb was Jamie Newall (Corley Cycles) followed by Adrian Lansley (Pedal On), Crispin Doyle (Swindon RC), Stuart Bowers (Hargroves Cycles) and Rob McCarthy (VC Meudon). This was to be the break that would decide the result.
The next few laps saw these riders almost together with only small gaps between them. Some were able to stay seated up the climb whilst other ran - and eventually dropped back.
At half distance Bowers made his move and opened a gap of about 20 seconds over the chasing group. Adrian and Jamie were close together with Crispin not too far behind and Rob was beginning to lose ground, although he was riding strongly and enjoying the course.
Bowers took the win on his own with Newall almost a minute down with Lansley a further 14 seconds behind him.
In other categories, the youth race was won by Jason Pitt of Palmer Park Velo. Harvey Lowe from Hargroves Cycles and Jason were together for most of the race until Jason attacked with a couple of laps to go taking a solo win.
Holmes the winner in London League 6
The winner of the first two rounds, Matt Holmes (Arctic RT) secured victory in the sixth round of the London League staged by VC Deal at Fowlmead Country Park near Deal in Kent on Sunday.
After his two early victories, Holmes has had to settle for third, second and third in the preceding races, but was back on top of the podium after a convincing performance in the latest race.
He crossed the line 56 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Mosquito Bikes’ junior Hugo Humphreys, while the unattached Paul Scheer was another 44 seconds down in third spot.
Top veteran was London Fire Brigade’s Mick Bell who was ninth overall, while Sigma Sport’s Leona Kadir was top woman, beating London Phoenix rival Astrid Wingler.
Humphreys won the junior prize, but less than two minutes down - and seventh overall - was VC Deal’s improving Jack Finch.
Oldham too good in North East League 5
National Trophy Series leader Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) was the runaway winner of the fifth round of the Cyclo-Cross North East League at Temple Park in South Shields on Sunday.
Hope crossed the line around four minutes ahead of his nearest rival, and lapped all but five riders in a quality field for the event, which incorporated the National Fire Service Championship.
Early rain had stopped before the racing began, but the ground was soft on a course which included technical areas as well as fast sections which helped string out the riders.
While Oldham romped home, there was a much closer battle between MTS Cyclesport’s Stuart Wearmouth and veteran Nick Craig (Scott UK), who were never more than a few seconds apart in their bid for second spot.
In the end Wearmouth edged ahead, but only by around 18 seconds, while Craig settled for the veterans prize.
Black Hawk Bikes rider Alan Nixon won the Fire Services Championship with ninth overall, one lap down on Oldham, who defends his National Trophy Series lead this weekend.
Results
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