Wessex Cyclocross round 9, Sotonia - Report
Pat yourselves on the back Sotonia for hosting a brilliant Cyclocross event on Sunday week! Around 500 people went home with big smiles on their faces, including an outstanding showing of 31 club racers among the 343 competitors.
We couldn’t have done it without the support of club members giving up so much of their time to help marshal, set-up, take down, serve cakes, DJ, cheer and generally help out. We even had BBC South film the action for broadcast sometime soon!
There were 13 of our youth riders in the U10 race alone, with George Connell finishing a whisker away from the podium in 4th and Max Darnton 12th in the U12s, battling back after an early crash.
In the v40 race: Jon Hall (17th), Phil Connell (26th), Simon Guard (32nd). v50s: Jon Dudley (16th), Simon Fitzjohn (31st). The womens race featured two of our ladies: Gemma Wilks (13th) and Emma Harley in her first cross race (30th).
For the senior race, Tom Budden was again up with the leaders, eventually finishing 9th, Phil Wilks (21st), Tobie Charlton (22nd), Matt Dixon (28th), Phil Godfrey (29th), Ant Gritton (36th), Ben Scott-Munden (42nd), Ben Darnton (46th), Niels Langhout (51st).
Well done everyone!
[gdl_gallery title="sotonia_cx_13-11-2016" width="290" height="240" galid="1" ]
Full results are here
Graham Robins' official report and Photos
Provisional Results
Seniors
1st Adrian Lansley PedalOn 58mins 34secs
2nd Alex Forrester Zepnat.com @48secs
3rd Michael Cotty Col Collective @50secs
4th Sam Allen PedalOn @51secs
5th Joe Hickerton Eden Veranda
6th Kean Wytrykowski PedalOn
7th Jamie Norfolk PedalOn
8th Ryan Smith HR Owens
9th Tom Budden Sotonia CC
10th Daniel Atkins Didcot Phoenix CC
Women seniors
1st Susan Parker North Hants RC
2nd Lindy Larkin Dame Cycling
3rd Carly Hughes Fareham Wheelers
4th Sarah Barber North Hants RC
5th Lauren Cracknell PedalOn
Women Vets
1st Claire Smith Cotswold Veldrijden
2nd Caroline Goward Scott
3rd Mandy Hibberd PedalOn
Junior Women
1st Ella Freeman Team Montezumas Hargroves Cycles
2nd Jamie Kimber Cotswold Veldrijden
Vet 50+ Men
1st Kevin Holloway GS Vecchi 40mins 21secs
2nd Tim Costello GS Vecchi @1min 24secs
3rd Malcolm Cross VC Venta
4th Phillip Boarer GS Vecchi
5th Mike Williams Fareham Wheelers
Vet40+ Men
1st Owen Pattinson Owens Cycles
2nd Tim Hyde PedalOn @22secs
3rd Graham Rogerson Cotswold Veldrijden
4th Nick Onslow PedalOn
5th Roger Prior
Juniors
1st Erin Baker Team MK
2nd Edward Gronbech Oxford city RC
3rd Archie Scott Cotswold Veldrijden
4th Liam Sewell Cotswold Veldrijden
5th Charlie Cooper Hargroves Cycles
Record day of cross racing at Fairthorne
It was record day of cross racing for Sotonia at Fairthorne Manor for round 7 of Wessex League on Sunday as an incredible 27 club racers aged 5 to 64 made sure the Sotonia gazebo and bike rack were full all day. The course was on the bumpy side but that didn’t stop some good tussles especially between our 8 seniors. Tom Budden finished just two seconds off 6th with his favourite 8th place and Jon Hall shrugged off last weeks injury with 4th in the v40s. Phil Wilks, Phil Godfrey, Matt Dixon, and cx newbie Ant Gritton all riding strongly too. Chairman Jon Dudley earning 18th in the v50s. Not forgetting Gemma Wilks, (one of four Wilks family racers) 12th in the women's race. Brilliant work everyone!
And what a fantastic turnout from our youth - in the U10's we had no less than nine taking part, another record for Sotonia. George Connell faired best with a well taken 7th place only a few seconds from 5th place out of 52 young starters. Felix Darnton coming in next of our youngsters with a great 10th place closely followed by Aaron Hay, a great ride for his first time. The U12's had Max Darnton and Louis Kirk representing Sotonia. With both starting near the back of the grid not the best of starts was expected, but boy did they both put on a show. Slowly picking their way through the back markers to finish 6th and 11th.
A big well done to all.
Sotonia Cyclocross races coming soon...
The Sotonia Cyclocross, now in its 5th year, is to be held at Southampton Sports Centre on Sunday 13th November. This year brings the exciting news that BBC South want to come and film it giving us a great opportunity to get cyclocross on the telly!!
Last year’s event was a great success with nearly 300 competitors (more expected this year), live music, commentary and a well stocked cake stall. This year we’re going to make it even better and really whip up some excitement for the crowd with an entertaining course, real coffee from Coffee Cruiser along with all the other familiar attractions.
Hope to see you there!
September race news round-up
September is where the end of the road season meets the start of the cyclocross season and our team has been busy both on and off-road. It’s been an incredibly successful year for our road team, standing 7th in the Southern region rankings on 295 points (up from 11th in 2015) with an impressive 10 rider promotions. Our youth team is also growing fast so the future is bright for team Sotonia...
VC Venta Summer Criterium 4
In the last Winchester Criterium of the year, Josh Bakker added his name to the strong club results on the Park & Ride circuit this season with a fine win and promotion in the 4th cat race with George Karta coming 5th.
Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers Road Race
The 56 mile 2/3/4 road race on the tough 5.7 mile Lulworth Castle circuit saw James Peckham finish 14th place in the bunch sprint, and Ben Scott-Munden 25th.
Wessex Cyclocross round 1, Newbury
The cross season kicked off on September 18th with hosts Newbury Road Club at Mary Hare School and its usual mix of a big hill, woods and fast grassland. Previous years have brought ever increasing rider numbers and this was no different with a whopping 445 across all categories.
Sotonia had 7 young riders in the U12 race who all thoroughly enjoyed the racing. The combined v40 and junior race topped out with 110 starters including Phil Connell, Jez Hart and newcomer Jon Hall for Sotonia. Jon quickly showed his potential by storming to 15th place from the back of the grid. Jez and Phil finishing 31st and 32nd. In the v50 race (61 starters) John Phillips was 30th and Simon FitzJohn 50th.
Tom Budden started where he left off last season, finishing a strong 9th in the seniors (85 starters), Tobie Charlton 17th, Craig Hay (28), Phil Godfrey (31), Ben Darnton (48).
Wessex Cyclocross round 2, Swindon
There were top rides by our seniors at Swindon last weekend - Tom Budden had a great start and was lying 3rd before a heavy fall on an off-camber corner led to an eventual 6th place finish. Tobie Charlton also had a great race only slightly marred by a clash on the penultimate corner that put an end to his rear mech to get 13th. There were good rides also by Craig Hay (27th), Phil Godfrey (36th), and Ben Darnton (44th).
Another stormer also from cross newcomer, Jon Hall in the V40 race who made the most of good gridding this week after round 1 to finish 7th in his category and Phil Connell (21st v40) - we can see Tobie and Jon cracking the top 10s in the near future! :)
August Race News round-up
As the summer of racing heads towards its conclusion, we look back on the last month's remarkable results for team Sotonia…
Tom goes solo at Sotonia Summer Criterium 2
Kicking off the month, it was a great day’s racing for team Sotonia at the Winchester Park and Ride circuit for our final Summer Criterium of the year. Ride of the day went to Tom Budden - soloing off the front from the start to lap the field in the 4th cats. A great ride too by Ben Hames - winning the sprint and second place. Andy MacKay was a well deserved second place in the cat 3 race with Red Walters 6th and Jon Hall 7th. There was a top turnout by our youth riders too. Thanks also to race sponsors The Hub Cycleworks for their generous support.
Red impresses at Portsmouth Evening Circuits
The return of the Mountbatten circuit has meant a happy hunting ground for junior, Red Walters with 3rd places in rounds 8 and 11 to secure promotion to 2nd category - pretty amazing in his first season of road racing! Congratulations Red!
Andy nabs promotion at Torbay Velo Park Crit
Andy MacKay also won a well deserved promotion to second Category after getting into a five man break in Torbay and racing to the win.
Ed wins at VC Venta Criterium 3
There was a decent points haul for Sotonia at the third VC Venta Park & Ride Crits on 14th August. In the 4th cat race, Ben Hames impressed with a second place and promotion. George Karta came 10th and Tobie Charlton 14th.
In the 3rds, Ed Slot went one better - soloing off the front to take the win. The lead group containing three Sotonia riders was led largely by Tom Budden and Ed. After a few efforts to split things up, Ed eased away with a quarter of the race remaining with Red Walters taking third in the bunch sprint. Ed followed this fine result with a third place at Thruxton a week later to gain his second cat promotion as well.
Podium for Tom in Southern XC series
Last weekend saw the final round of the Southern XC Cross Country Mountain Bike series at Checkendon with Tom Budden and Tobie Charlton featuring at the sharp end in the lead group of the Sport category race on the twisting woodland course. Tom sealed an impressive second place in the series, finishing second on the day with Tobie 4th (9th in series).
It's been a great summer for Sotonia - really well done everyone! Not long now until Cyclocross season...
#teamSotonia
July Race News Round-up
Another month of summer flown by and another flurry of great results for our racers, Here’s a run down of how we’ve been getting on recently…
VC Venta Criterium 2
This weekend, Ed Slot took another step closer to promotion with a strong ride and second place in the 3rd cat race at the Winchester circuit. A front group of around 11 riders formed early on containing all three Sotonia riders (Ed Slot, Jon Hall and Red Walters). Despite a few digs they stayed together until a bit of chaos in the finale as a lapped group got in the way of the final charge at the top bend on the last lap but Ed recovered well, just being pipped on the line, with Red 6th and Jon 7th.
There was more great riding by Sotonia youth in the morning races. Well done to them all, great rides by Ollie winning the U8 race and Issy making the podium too. A fantastic first ride in the U8s for Oscar, not only riding his first race but riding all the way from Winchester to compete, chapeau.
Sotonia Summer Road Race
Our annual summer road race featured seven Sotonia racers on the start line and James Peckham kicked things off with an early two man break on the first lap. Recent heavy rain left the circuit susceptible to punctures of which there were plenty, keeping neutral service very busy. The pace was high and a tough selection ensured a much reduced main group of just 19 riders. Punctures put paid to Andy Mackay and Phil Wilks’ chances and James unfortunately crashed out in the later stages in a touch of wheels on one of the climbs, leaving Ed Slot to finish in the main group.
Circuit race successes
With the return of the Mountbatten track to the racing calendar, James Peckham cemented a well earned promotion to 2nd cat with a fine 2nd place in the 3rd cat race in the Portsmouth Evening Circuits series. which was swiftly followed by his first points in the higher category as he took 8th place in the E12 race that followed! Sotonia junior, Red Walters continues his swift progression and has gained 5th and 10th places in the 3rds at Portsmouth this month.
In the Bournemouth Cycleworks Summer Road Race, Ed Slot finished 13th as he continues to rack up promising results.
At round 9 of the Castle Combe Summer Series, Ben Scott Munden continued his successful first season in second cat racing with a 4th place in the E/1/2 race. Meanwhile at the Thruxton circuit, Russell Speight finished in 3rd spot to achieve his move up from 4th cat in Behind The Bikeshed's Summer Series
XC MTB podium for Tom
Turning to off-road racing, Tom Budden secured another podium spot in round 7 of the Southern XC Mountain bike series at the Matterley Estate near Winchester, finishing second in the Sport category of the XC Mountain Bike series on the hilly circuit near Winchester and looking set for a top three finish in the series.
Sotonia Summer Criterium final event
Next local race for us is the second and final Sotonia Summer Criterium, held at Winchester Park & Ride on Sunday 7th August. Don’t miss out – online pre-entry closes next Wednesday.
#teamSotonia
Sotonia Summer Road Race - Results
Results
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Veale | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2 | Ben Lockett | Saint Piran |
| 3 | James Boyman | Farnham RC |
| 4 | Daniel Mcquillan | Tri UK |
| 5 | Matthew Downie | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 6 | Austin Head | VC Revolution |
| 7 | Thom Hayward | Velo Club Venta |
| 8 | Edward Giles | RP Vision Racing Team |
| 9 | Matthew Bone | Host© TAAP Storck |
| 10 | Timothy Allen | RP Vision Racing Team |
| 11 | Patryk Rucki | Skinline Race Club |
| 12 | Jack Rebours | Caesarean CC Jersey |
| 13 | Adrian Lawson | Cycology Sunwise |
| 14 | Ryan Smith | HR Owen Maserati RT |
| 15 | Brook Elgie | Rock N Road Cycles |
| 16 | Daniel Baker | HR Owen Maserati RT |
| 17 | Peter Hodson-Thomas | Westbury Wheelers |
| 18 | Gareth Bushnell | Mid Devon CC |
| 19 | Ed Slot | Sotonia CC |
Sotonia Summer Criterium report
Now in it’s third season, the Sotonia Summer Criterium returned last weekend for the first of two events held at the South Winchester Park & Ride venue this year. A best ever turnout of 159 riders took part with plenty of family and supporters taking advantage of the ‘race village’ refreshments from the good people at Coffee Cruiser, GelArto Ice Cream and the Terrace Sandwich Bar. Mechanical support was on hand from race sponsors, The Hub Cycleworks.
Fine weather greeted the youth riders in the early races with Sotonia fielding seven U8s. Ollie Graham rode strongly for another podium finish with 2nd place. Isabella Hall taking 2nd in U8 girls. Of the four Sotonia U10s, Samuel Ridgment was our best finisher in 7th place.
When it came to the senior races, we were again well represented in the 4th cats with seven Sotonia riders. A lead group of nine riders including Tom Budden and junior, Josh Bakker quickly formed which stayed away until the end with Josh taking 3rd and Tom 4th in the sprint won by Adam Downing (Cycleworks).
[youtube height="430" width="750"]PLACE_LINK_HERE[/youtube]
Five Sotonia riders raced the 3rd cat race and again it was full gas from the gun. A lead group moved clear as the bunch strung out, containing Ed Slot, James Peckham, Phil Wilks and Andy MacKay. The eventual sprint won by Rob Hardyman (North Hampshire RC) saw Ed take a fine second place, Andy 7th, James 8th and Phil 12th.
Thanks to all the club members who helped make the event such a success. Thanks also to The Hub Cycleworks for their support and Graham Robins for the event photos.
Next up is the Sotonia Summer Road Race on 3rd July which should see some exciting racing on the sporting circuit at Owslebury with another strong lineup by team Sotonia.
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U8 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jack Morgan | Solent Pirates |
| 2nd | Oliver Graham | Sotonia CC |
| 3rd | Lauren Charles | Charlotteville CC |
| 4th | Oliver Patterson | |
| 5th | Isabella Hall | Sotonia CC |
| 6th | Celia Moody | Sotonia CC |
| 7th | Thomas Wilks | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | Skye Martingale | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Joshua Graham | Sotonia CC |
| 10th | Lucas Mills | Sotonia CC |
U10 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Edward Charles | Charlotteville CC |
| 2nd | Stanley Kent | Hillingdon Slipstreamers |
| 3rd | Bobby Buenfield | Velo Club Venta |
| 4th | Oliver Morgan | Solent Pirates |
| 5th | Oliver Kent | Hillingdon Slipstreamers |
| 6th | Arne Esslemont | Andover BMX Club |
| 7th | George Connell | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | Samuel Ridgment | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Alfie Gaunt | Sotonia CC |
U10 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Greta Carey | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 2nd | Melissa Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 3rd | Anna Patterson | |
| 4th | Liv Kersley | Andover Wheelers |
| 5th | Evelyn Mills | Sotonia CC |
| 6th | Mabel Moody | Sotonia CC |
U12 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jamie Gostick | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 2nd | Joel Maclean-Howell | Cardiff JIF |
| 3rd | Arlo Carey | Palmer Park Velo RT |
| 4th | Peter Drabble | VC Meudon |
| 5th | Felix Clacy | Chapel Tri-Stars |
| 6th | Oscar Pratt | Velo Club Venta |
| 7th | Charley Perkins |
U12 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ella Maclean-Howell | Cardiff JIF |
| 2nd | Madeline Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 3rd | Elena Day | Solent Pirates |
U14 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Freddie Horner | Behind the Bikeshed |
| 2nd | Nathaniel Brookes | Gillingham & District Wheelers |
| 3rd | Ella Shaftoe | Performance Cycles |
| 4th | Toby Proctor | FSM Schools |
4/4J
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Adam Downing | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2nd | Connor Ambrosini | |
| 3rd | Joshua Bakker | Sotonia CC |
| 4th | Tom Budden | Sotonia CC |
| 5th | Sam Stewart | Southdown Velo |
| 6th | James Gill | DHCyclesport |
| 7th | Ed Clarke | Velo Club Venta |
| 8th | Matthew Posner | Southampton University RC |
| 9th | Richard Windsor | |
| 10th | Benjamin Hames | Sotonia CC |
| 11th | Russell Speight | Sotonia CC |
| 12th | David Martin | Velo Club Venta |
| 13th | Jason Rushton | Army Cycling Union |
| 14th | Kevin Easterbrook | Royal Air Force CA |
WOMEN
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Keri Parton | Royal Air Force CA |
| 2nd | Gemma Stuart | Mickey Cranks CC |
| 3rd | Chloe Barr |
3/J3
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rob Hardyman | North Hampshire RC |
| 2nd | Ed Slot | Sotonia Cycling Club |
| 3rd | Adam Holleyman | Wight Mountain RT |
| 4th | Matthew Buckley | Abbotts Ann Cycles |
| 5th | Ieuan Woods | Charlotteville CC |
| 6th | Paul Barnard | Southdowns Bikes Casco |
| 7th | Andrew Mackay | Sotonia CC |
| 8th | James Peckham | Sotonia CC |
| 9th | Charlie Cooper | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 10th | Robert Baird | Blazing Saddles Cycles |
| 11th | Tom Lane | Blazing Saddles Cycles |
| 12th | Phil Wilks | Sotonia CC |
| 13th | Joe Clark | I-Team Cyclists' Club |
E/1/2/3/J
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Smith | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 2nd | Benjamin Marks | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 3rd | Joe Hickerton | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 4th | George Stainton-Ellis | Excel Pedal Heaven Academy |
| 5th | Matthew Webster | Wellingborough RT |
| 6th | Patryk Rucki | Skinline RC |
| 7th | Harry Veale | Cycleworks.co.uk |
| 8th | Stanley Kennett | PMR@Toachim House |
| 9th | Oscar Hutchings | Primera-TeamJobs |
| 10th | Paul Double | Velo Club Venta |
| 11th | Matthew Downie | Eden Veranda Racing |
| 12th | Stephen Cavey | Southdowns Bikes Casco |
June Race News Round-up
It's been a very busy few weeks as the summer racing events come thick and fast. Here's a run down of how we've been getting on recently...
VC Venta Winchester P&R Crits, 29 May
The first crit held at Winchester Park & Ride Circuit where we had a win for Ollie Graham in the U8's and two great rides for a 4th place for William Harley and a 5th for Lucas Mills. In the under 10's we had a 9th for George Connell and in the U10 girls a 5th for Evelyn Mills and a 4th in the U12's for Ella Connell.
Winchester City Criterium, 5 June
In the spectacle that was the Winchester Criterium round the streets of Winchester, what a great days racing was had by our seven young riders. Another win for Ollie Graham in the U8's with a 10th for William and a 12th for Lucas Mills. In the U10's we had an 18th for George and 19th for Samuel Ridgement and a 24th for Evelyn Mills. Again well done guys really good to see a good representation from our youth.
In the 3rd cat race, James Peckham continued his fine run of form with 4th place. James: "A Lone rider got away early. Group of ten chasing, then five by the finish. It was the hardest race - hot and fast, no let up all race. With six laps to go, I attacked hard to split the group, but forgot that I needed to slow down for the corner! I almost decked it into the hay bales, lost speed and nerve a little. I wasn't going to catch the leader but wanted to split up the group a bit so I worked with another rider but got caught. My sprint wasn't perfect, I waited too long and didn't have a clear run to the line."
Phil Godfrey finished 11th in a hard fought 4th cat race. Phil: "I started well in the 4ths but wasn't on my game today. There were three young riders from the Channel Islands who were head and shoulders faster than anyone else and lapped the field. I lost the wheels and was back in 13th most of the race on my own but I kept going and caught a few on the drag to finish 11th."
Southern XC MTB round 5, Crow Hill, 5 June
It was a super hot, tough day last sunday at Crow Hill near Ringwood for round 5 of the Southern XC MTB race series. The course was mostly wooded singletrack with a lot of roots that got slippier as the day went on and a couple of climbs. There were loads of crashes in the rutted ditches but that didn't stop Tom Budden from bagging a third consecutive podium finish in Sport and Tobie Charlton 9th. Jez Hart was 24th out of 54 riders in Open cat.
Henstridge Circuit race series in Dorset, 6 June
On Monday Ben Scott-Munden travelled to Dorset for the 2/3 race at Henstridge picking up 5th place.
Behind the Bikeshed Series, Thruxton, 7 June
Another cracking ride by James Peckham at Thruxton race circuit with 3rd place in the 3rd cat race as he gets ever closer to second cat promotion!
Dunkeswell, Devon
Meanwhile further afield in Devon, Andy MacKay picked up a second place in the 3/4 race at the East Devon Circuit Series at Dunkeswell. Andy also picked up a cool fifth place at Moreton in the TLI race series last week.
Team Axiom Timetrial weekend, 11 June
There were some seriously quick rides from Sotonia in this event on the P881 and P885 courses on the A3. In the '10', James Peckham was 15th with 20:14, Dan Edwards, 27th with a PB of 20:41. In the '25', James was in action again with a super quick 53:03!
Sotonia Summer Criterium 1
It's less than a week now until the next episode at Winchester P&R with Sotonia’s first of two crit race events on Sunday 19th June. Don't miss out - Online pre-entry closes wednesday!
#teamSotonia
Results – P164 TT, 3 June 2016
| Pos | Name | Club | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Wilks | Sotonia CC | 22:28 |
| 2 | Jonathan Hall | Sotonia CC | 22:45 |
| 3 | Nick Austin | Sotonia CC | 23:09 |
| 4 | Andy Poss | DHC | 23:37 |
| 5 | Paul Lockyer | DHC | 23:55 |
| 6 | Steve Wood | 24:00 | |
| 7 | Alex Dickinson | Sotonia CC | 24:49 |
| 8 | James Dick | Tri Team Wessex | 25:00 |
| 9 | Stuart Grace | GA Cycles | 25:15 |
| 10 | Tony Maschio | VC Venta | 25:35 |
| 11 | Justin Priest | DHC | 25:39 |
| 12 | Angela Burnikell | Sotonia CC | 26:27 |
| 13 | Mark Chamberlain | 27:01 | |
| 14 | Jamie Cole | DHC | 27:02 |
| 15 | Dave England | Crabwood CC | 27:09 |
| 16 | Niels Langhout | Sotonia CC | 27:22 |
| 17 | Mike Round | Bournemouth Jubillee | 27:55 |
| 18 | Craig Foord | Come and Try | 28:49 |
| 19 | Mary Corbett/Geoff Oswald | Sotonia CC | 30:10 |
| 20 | Chris Summers | Sotonia CC | 30:19 |
| 21 | Norman Harvey | Sotonia CC | 31:15 |
| 22 | Gary Charalambous | Come and try | 31:33 |
Sotonia Time Trials are organised by club members – this event could not have taken place without:
Dave Crocker, Martin Napier, Ian Stewart, Jon Dudley, Trevor Gaunt, Mick Bradban, James Peckham, Jan Burnage, Tim Cooke, Gawain Young
Sotonia Success at Venta Criterium
It was a trio of Sotonia wins for Ollie, Red and Ed in the first VC Venta Summer Criterium of the year at the Winchester Park & Ride circuit last weekend. There was plenty of exciting racing and early in the day, six of our youth riders enjoyed themselves with a victory for Ollie Graham in the U8 boys.
Red Walters sprinted to a win in the 4th cats (and 3rd cat promotion), he told us about his race: "I heard that breaks stay away at the PnR so I made sure I was at the front from the get go. There was a break of five in the first lap which I managed to get in. The break lasted only a few laps due to the wind and because some guys kept attacking the break. Despite many attacks, none actually stayed more than half a lap. Coming up to the bell lap, I gave an effort which put me into fourth wheel, halfway down the back straight, a couple of guys attacked and I followed which gave a small gap to the rest of the bunch. I launched my sprint in a good position and was making ground on the others, then one of my feet un-clipped, but I managed to still take the win by a couple of cm."
Russell Speight finished 7th and Joffrey Carlier was 12th. The women's race featured Angela Burnikell, finishing 4th in her first road race.
To follow that, Ed Slot then won the 3rd cat race for Sotonia! Ed: "It was a very fast race from the start, when our group of five formed we were all working really well together. About 40 minutes in, we all eased up a bit (to my relief). I attacked with a lap to go just before the top corner, got a bit of a gap and held it to the finish."
Jonathan Hall was the next finisher for us with 7th place after a puncture cost Andy Mackay another top 10 finish. Jon: "I got caught behind a clip-in crash on the startline so was way down the line as it strung out over first few laps. I could see the head of the race disappearing and thought that was it, but just kept hanging on the wheel in front. With crashes and people popping, we became a group of nine behind the lead five. The lead group came past and we were told not to jump on. Our 8 became 7 after Andy's safety pin incident, then on the last lap the guy behind me tried to bomb me on the top corner, but only ended up crashing and also taking the rider behind out. That left five going down the back straight so I sat in until the last 50 metres and then moved to the front so was first into the bottom corner. Then just pedalled as fast as my little old legs would go and managed to hold on for 7th."
Thanks to VC Venta for putting on another great event!
Sotonia Summer Criterium 1
Just three weeks now until the next episode at Winchester P&R with Sotonia's first of two crit race events on Sunday 19th June. Online entry is available here.