Spring Road Race Results - April 29th 2007
Both photographs kindly provided by DGS Cycling Photography
3/4/J Event - 68km
A field of 84 riders started the morning race for 3/4/J cats. in dry, but cool conditions at Great Milton, Oxon. The race stayed together until the mid point where Ed Summerwell (Team Quest) and Geoff Williams (Python RT) clipped off the front of the bunch and worked well to gain a maximum of a 35 second gap. They were later on joined by Chris Davis (Halesowen CC) who fought hard to get on but by the top of Clare Hill, the race came back together. A later group of 8 got a small gap of around 20 seconds but despite early signs of equal effort, this was not seen to be working well and so it came down to a bunch sprint, where Harry Bulstrode (Private) got the verdict.
E/1/2/3 Event - 116km
From 77 entered, 67 rolled out from the start at 2pm, in brightening conditions that improved as the race wore on. At the completion of the first lap it was altogether, but as the race turned left across the M40 and with the wind behind them, a group of 13 riders quickly got themselves organised with a 40 second gap at the next ascent of Clare hill. They were Jon Pain (Leisure Lakes), Grant Bayton (Team GWR), Keith Lilley (Team Certini), Tom Hemmant (London Dynamo), Steve Calland (Norwood Paragon), Nigel Williams (Python RT), Andrew Fenn (Liverpool Mercury), Joel Stewart (Agiskoviner), Adam Norris (Plowman Craven Evans RT), Colin Roshier (Team Quest), Luke Rowe (Recycling) and Rob Enslin (AW Cycles). With each major team represented in the break there was little impetus to close things from behind. By penultimate lap the gap was put out to 3 minutes, which started to come down as riders started to miss turns. However, the bunch had eased off sufficiently for this not to matter. The group was reduced to 12 when Mike Wragg (Team Milton Keynes) punctured late on. On the Clare hill climb for the last time, Roshier put in a dig as did Stewart – but it all came back. As the leaders came into the last 2km Grant Bayton (Team GWR) attacked the group with no immediate response. Biding his time, Roshier then cruised on his own across to the leader, waited, then jumped again giving it full gas for the last 800m. The group behind started to sprint to get across but it was too late with only Rowe and Norris managing to get in front of Bayton to claim 2nd and 3rd place in the gallop, with Colin Roshier timing it just right for a fine win. After the race, Colin said: “I managed to get across to Grant okay after his attack, but was conscious that I need to get a jump on him as soon as I could. The last 500m are always tough with the drag to the finish”.
