Winchester Crit, 17 August
The Winchester City Centre Crit races saw three Sotonia riders take the line in the 4th Cat race - Dan Edwards, Phil Wilks and Paul Ransom.
The game plan was to stay up the front at all costs, due to the technical nature of the course. A good start left Dan in third position and towards the end of the first lap he made his move gaining a reasonable lead on the two chasers and the group; unfortunately owing to a serious accident, the race was neutralised and then stopped on the second lap.
After the injured rider was treated, the race was then restarted with a shortened duration of 10mins plus two laps. Dan decided that he would just gun it from the start and try to stay away. He made his move just before the technical section and quickly made a gap, about halfway through, a rider from VC St Raphael began to bridge over but suffered a mechanical and had to drop out of the race, leaving Dan to continue alone.
It wasn't until the final lap that Phil managed to bridge up to the leader and they fought a neck and neck sprint up the high street with Dan just taking the win by a wheel and a Sotonia 1-2! Both Phil and Dan gained 3rd cat promotions too, which is brilliant!
Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series 12 - Thruxton, 12 August
There was a big field of 80 for the 3/4 race at the final round of the Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series at Thruxton race circuit. Will Weynberg of Sotonia went into the race in the lead, needing only to finish above his nearest rival to secure a hard earned series win. Sotonia's two other riders in the race James Peckham and Rob Tomlinson played the perfect team mates as Rob kept Will out of trouble and James closed down any dangerous breaks.
Consequently, no one got away and then Will Weynberg did what he does best by winning the bunch sprint to take the series in style and also secure promotion to 2nd category in his first year of racing. Well done Will - brilliant riding!
Results here
August Family Fun Ride, 3 August 2014
Another great turnout for our monthly Family Fun Ride again in the New Forest today. After an unexpected rain cloud moved on at the start, the weather was soon all blue skies again as our ride took on the 6 and 11 mile forest trail routes in Deny's Wood near Brockenhurst.
As an added bonus today, the ride was followed by a skills session for the young (and not so young) riders. The obstacle course supplied by Penny and featuring slalom, bottle carrying, balance area, bridge and fearsome limbo bars to squeeze under was LOVED by the kids who all competed to try for a 'clear round', judged by Commissaire Connell. The following prize presentation was also a big hit with the youngsters who all displayed impressive handling skills on the tricky course.
Everyone agreed this was a great addition to our growing youth rides - can't wait for the next one! :)
Pics of the action can be found here
Sotonia Winchester Crit Races Results, 20 July
4th Cats
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Fleming | BAD Tri |
| 2 | Daniel Edwards | Sotonia CC |
| 3 | Phil Wilks | Sotonia CC |
| 4 | Ben Scott-Munden | Sotonia CC |
| 5 | Liam Keynes | Odiham Cycling Club |
| 6 | Mark Greenwood | Army Cycling Union |
| 7 | Adam Meads | Thames Velo |
| 8 | James Thomas | Southampton University RC |
| 9 | Lee Benson | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club |
| 10 | Thomas Rutter | Cheltenham & County CC |
| 11 | Rob Hardyman | North Hampshire RC |
| 12 | Scott Cole | VC Bristol Webbs of Warmley |
| 13 | Paul Ransom | Sotonia CC |
| 14 | Chris Brooks | Southampton University RC |
| 15 | David Deady | Sotonia CC |
| 16 | Daniel Baker | |
| 17 | Edward Wu | Sotonia CC |
| 18 | Mr Tom Wheeler | Cycle Club Basingstoke |
| 19 | Mr Joe White | Southampton University RC |
| 20 | Mr Benjamin Skelton | London Dynamo |
Womens E/1/2/3/4
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megan Chard | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
| 2 | Ruby Chappell | Behind The Bikeshed | 2nd |
| 3 | Sophie-Jo Wylie-Morris | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
| 4 | Florence Collyer-Powell | Southampton University RC | 3rd |
| 5 | Jennifer Powell | Cheltenham & County CC | 3rd |
| 6 | Jennifer Goddard | Hargroves Cycles CC | 3rd |
| 7 | Lili McLean | Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT | 2nd |
| 8 | Gemma Stuart | Performance Cycles | 3rd |
| 9 | Alicia Love | Southampton University RC | N/A |
| 10 | Emily Lyons | Zappi's Racing Team | 4th |
| 11 | Charlotte Sampson | Bournemouth Arrow CC | 3rd |
| 12 | Sophie Taylor | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
3rd Cats
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Pickett | Velo Club Venta |
| 2 | Oliver Yates | Royal Navy & Royal Marines |
| 3 | Simon Jodrell | Odiham Cycling Club |
| 4 | Trevor Smith | Cotswold Veldrijden |
| 5 | Jamie Newall | Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT |
| 6 | Pete Beilby | Primera-UK-Biking |
| 7 | James Franklin | Velo Club Venta |
| 8 | Bill Hawkes | Thanet RC |
| 9 | Alexander Clayton | Southampton University RC |
| 10 | Gary Brooks | Kenilworth Wheelers CC |
| 11 | James Cobb | London Dynamo |
| 12 | Christian Hatton | VC St Raphael |
| 13 | Ben Bradley | Southdown Velo |
| 14 | Jon Shillingford | Thames Velo |
| 15 | Ashley Morris | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club |
| 16 | Kevin Foster | Wightlink LCM Systems Cycle RT |
| 17 | Joshua Dugdale | |
| 18 | Martin Rowland | Poole Whls CC |
| 19 | Ian Hayden | Wightlink LCM Systems Cycle RT |
| 20 | James Peckham | Sotonia CC |
E/1/2/3
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Clarke | London Dynamo | 2nd |
| 2 | Calum Gillespie | Cycleworks.co.uk | 2nd |
| 3 | Justin Hoy | Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT | Elite |
| 4 | Rob Sharland | Kingston Whls CC | 1st |
| 5 | Andy Shackel | Team Wiggle | 2nd |
| 6 | George Stainton-Ellis | Team Dassi | 2nd |
| 7 | Stuart Williams | Beeline Bicycles RT | 2nd |
| 8 | Anthony Anderson | Sigma Sport.co.uk | A |
| 9 | David Billings | VC St Raphael | 2nd |
| 10 | Cameron Thompson | VC St Raphael | 2nd |
| 11 | Brook Elgie | Peter Hansford Racing | 2nd |
| 12 | Charlie Leech | Southampton University RC | 2nd |
| 13 | Andrew Carter | Portsmouth North End CC | 2nd |
| 14 | Graham Austin | VC Meudon | 2nd |
| 15 | Paul Butler | PB Cycle Coaching Racing Team | 2nd |
| 16 | James Cooper | Rock N Road Cycles | 2nd |
| 17 | David Bird | London Phoenix CC | 2nd |
| 18 | Daniel Stephens | Rock N Road Cycles | 2nd |
U16 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Anderson | Sigma Sport.co.uk | A |
| 2 | Lewis Martin | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club | A |
| 3 | Alex Collins | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club | A |
| 4 | Charlie Cooper | I-Team Cyclists' Club | A |
| 5 | Thamana Nel | I-Team Cyclists' Club | A |
| 6 | Alexander Cross | Oakley Pedalers | A |
U14 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charley Calvert | Bournemouth Arrow CC | B |
| 2 | Ieuan Woods | Charlotteville CC | B |
| 3 | Will Cooper | I-Team Cyclists' Club | B |
| 4 | Lewis Haller | Charlotteville CC | B |
| 5 | Thomas Munday | Portsmouth North End CC | B |
| 6 | Samuel Clark | I-Team Cyclists' Club | B |
U12 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Owen Giles | Portsmouth North End CC | C |
| 2 | Jude Beaton | I-Team Cyclists' Club | C |
| 3 | Matthew Day | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club | C |
| 4 | Euan Taylor | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | C |
| 5 | Freddie Horner | Behind The Bikeshed | C |
| 6 | Andrew McNaughton | C |
U10 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Wylie-Morris | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports... | D |
| 2 | Oliver Emment | Hillingdon Slipstreamers | D |
| 3 | Jack Webb | 1st Chard Whls | D |
| 4 | Kyle Jones | Maindy Flyers Youth CC | D |
| 5 | Jamie Whitcher | Solent Pirates | D |
| 6 | Taylor Evans | Hillingdon Slipstreamers | D |
| 7 | Marshall Thompson | Andover Whls | D |
| 8 | Dylan Davison | Solent Pirates | D |
U8 Boys
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Brown | Palmer Park Velo RT | E |
| 2 | Pascal Giret | Hillingdon Slipstreamers | E |
| 3 | Edward Charles | Charlotteville CC | E |
U16 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Megan Chard | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
| 2 | Caitlin Shaw | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
| 3 | Sophie-Jo Wylie-Morris | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
| 4 | Victoria Lovett | I-Team Cyclists' Club | A |
| 5 | Sophie Taylor | M and D Cycles/Scimitar Sports | A |
U14 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caitlin Peters | Fareham Wheelers | B |
U12 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freya Richardson | Portsmouth North End CC | C |
U10 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elena Day | Solent Pirates | D |
U8 Girls
| Pos | Name | Club | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Livia Kersley | Andover Whls | E |
| 2 | Evelyn Mills | Andover Whls | E |
| 3 | Isla Knight | Andover Whls | E |
Sotonia Winchester Crit Races report, 20 July
Phew! Well, with 140 riders taking part including 44 juniors aged 8 and up, I think we can safely say that Sotonia's first crit race event at the great little Winchester Park & Ride circuit was a MASSIVE success! Huge thanks go to Penny Cossburn and Phil Connell who kept the constant flow of competitors rolling and to the commissaries Mick Metcalf, Simon Hall and Andy Corkill doing stirling work to process results quickly - a hard but rewarding days work by everyone involved.
It was a hot and sweltering day in Winchester with another big Sotonia turnout of seven riders in the 4th cat race. From what I could see of the action from the sign on, Phil Wilks went straight to the front with Jon Wren and pulled the lead group clear - a sign of things to come as Phil was clearly enjoying himself and seemed to drive the pace for much of the race. The final lap saw the second group get lapped on the finish line to give the judges a headache. But when the dust settled, Dan Edwards emerged with second place and Phil was rewarded for his hard work with 3rd place. Provisional results have Ben Scott-Munden a very smart 4th after some astute tactical riding by the youngster, Paul Ransom 13th, Dave Deady 15th and Ed Wu 17th. Jon Wren after a strong start was forced to retire, still feeling his injuries from the last race.
The third cat race had an even bigger field of 33 and included newly promoted James Peckham. James followed Phil's lead by driving the early action from the front. After several laps, James found himself gapped from the lead group of 11 and a second chase group of five was formed. James continued to do the lions share of the work to bridge the gap and his gutsy riding was rewarded when he made contact again with 3 laps to go. Inevitably, the pace rocketed with 2 laps to go and Andy Picket of VC Venta took a flyer, holding off the bunch to take the win. James rolled in around 13th place - a fine result for his first 3rd cat race.
The womens race, had an impressive turnout of 14 riders and was won by Megan Chard, with Ruby Chappell second and Sophie Jo Wylie-Morris in third.
The main event of the E/1/2/3 was a fast but cagey affair with club member, Brook Elgie, riding for Hansfords, animating the bunch in the early stages with some strong riding. A few late break attempts were made but it came down to the final lap with the victory going to Matt Clark of London Dynamo, Brook finishing a creditable 11th in a top quality field.
Next up is the VC Venta road race next Sunday (27th) for Tim Dawkins, James Peckham and Jez Hart. Onwards and upwards Sotonia - this club is going places!
Full results: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/106688/Sotonia-Criterium#results
Graham Robins' awesome race pics can be found here
Results - Sotonia Summer Road Race, 6 July
Full Results
| Pos | Name | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Roach | BC Private Member |
| 2 | Edward Sutton | Wightlink LCM Systems Cycle RT |
| 3 | Rowan Horner | VC St Raphael |
| 4 | Adam Capes | Finchley Racing Team |
| 5 | Ben Carty | Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT |
| 6 | James Davey | Mid Devon CC |
| 7 | James Ellmore | Mid Shropshire Wheelers |
| 8 | Cameron Austin | Look Mum No Hands! |
| 9 | Nigel Williams | Python Racing Team |
| 10 | Toby Parnell | Cambridge CC |
| 11 | Robert Ward | Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT |
| 12 | Andy Brown | Glasgow Cycle Team |
| 13 | Kris Jasper | Falco Racing |
| 14 | Hugh Knudsen | Team Tor 2000 |
| 15 | James Archibald | G.S. Henley |
| 16 | Ewan Tuohy | Catford CC Equipe/Banks |
| 17 | Gavin Francis | London Dynamo |
| 18 | Charlie Leech | Southampton University RC |
| 19 | Nick Spencer-Vellacott | CC London |
| 20 | Hugo Crabb | Tri UK |
| 21 | Simon Ker | Bath Cycling Club |
| 22 | Brook Elgie | Peter Hansford Racing |
| 23 | Chris Hutchings | Velo Club Venta |
| 24 | Carl Silver | Bournemouth Jubilee Whls |
| 25 | James Peckham | Sotonia CC |
| 26 | Grant Smith | Crest Cycling Club |
| 27 | Douglas Tandy | Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club |
| 28 | James Leach | Imperial Racing Team |
| 29 | Chris Courage | Bournemouth Jubilee Whls |
| 30 | Thomas Key | Southampton University RC |
| 31 | Mark Valentine | Poole Wheelers CC |
| 32 | Henry Nelson | Southampton University RC |
| 33 | Ian Hayden @ 1 lap | Wightlink LCM Systems Cycle RT |
| 34 | Tim Butt @ 1 lap | Banbury Star CC |
| 35 | Timothy Dawkins @ 1 lap | Sotonia CC |
| 36 | Scott Michaels @ 1 lap | Southampton University RC |
| 37 | Paul Ransom @ 1 lap | Sotonia CC |
| 38 | Javier Arias Gonzalez @ 1 lap | Kingston Wheelers CC |
Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series 5 - Thruxton, 1 July
Another cracking summer evening down at Thruxton, with Will Weynberg again flying the flag for Sotonia that saw the 3/4 race set off at quite a steady pace unlike previous races, but things soon speeded up a few laps in. There were a handful of attacks from the bunch but none of these held much promise and all were reeled in within a few minutes.
It was the final lap before the decisive moves were made - up the penultimate climb there was a dangerous looking escape that Will was able to counter before sitting on and being reeled back, only for a trio to counter over the top and gain a 10 second advantage that they held on to all the way into the final hill ascent. It was at this point that another stinging attack was launched by William Harper of Dulwich Paragon which Will was again able to counter and hold onto all the way into the sprint. Coming into the final straight there were about five riders with a small gap over the field and Will managed to sprint into second place behind the winner, Daniel Mcquillan of Tri UK.
This result boosted Will's already increasing lead in the series overall rankings. Will who started the year as a new fourth cat rider, is now heading impressively towards second cat status in current form - chapeau!
Next up, the focus turns to this Sunday and the Sotonia Road Race at Owslebury which will no doubt provide a worthy test for the seven Sotonia riders scheduled to ride it - good luck to all!
Thruxton results here
Sotonia Family Fun Ride, 29 June 2014
Fine weather today and a fine turnout for the latest Sotonia Family Fun ride. 18 riders in total with 10 kids and some impressive riding by the youngsters - some of whom had bearly been on a bike until recently. Certificates of achievement were duly awarded by Phil to the proud (and somewhat ice cream wearing) winners Libby, George and Finley!
The next family ride is early August so watch this space!
Velo Club Venta Summer Crit 1, 29 June
Another race another Sotonia win - saying that is never going to get boring! Congratulations to Tim Dawkins who won the 4th cat race today at Winchester and 3rd cat promotion - lapping most of the field on his way to an impressive win.
Tim soon got away and the only rider to get close to him was Oliver Leach (UCLU CC) who was at one point 22 seconds behind with a further eight riders 10 seconds behind him. James Peckham bagged another podium spot in third, Ben Scott-Munden 8th and Paul Ransom in his second race finishing around 20th in the bunch.
Great work guys!
Graham Robins' report: here
Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series 5 - Thruxton, 24 June
It was yet another sunny evening at Thruxton for the fifth round of the Behind The Bikeshed Summer Series. This week saw a diminished number of Sotonia riders in the 3/4 cat race, just Will Weynberg in fact, but still a healthy field of 65 riders lining up for the nine lap race.
The race got off to a furious first three laps with attack after attack trying to slip away from the field. Will tried his hand to get away in an early break but the wind and the large field size made this near on impossible especially when everyone had fresh legs.
Throughout the race there were attacks from ones and twos but with limited success. Nobody gained any great margin and it looked increasingly likely that the race was going to end in a sprint finish.
In the final lap Will moved himself up into the top 15 riders and advanced even further up the field up the final hill and coming out of the final chicane was in a perfect position to launch a strong sprint. He came past the five riders ahead of him and surged for the line to take the victory by over a bike length.
That's two race wins and three top fives for Will this year already who is flying right now! Hopefully we will get some similar results at the Winchester Park & Ride on Sunday, and a few more in the team for Thruxton next week.