Reigning Welsh National Mountain Bike Champion Lee Williams continued his preparations for the forthcoming ‘cross season when he stormed to victory in the SRAM Notts and Derby Cyclo-Cross League opener in Derbyshire on Saturday.
The 27-year-old from Rhondda finished 12th in the National Cross Championship last season, and will again be targeting the National Trophy series.
He led virtually from start to finish in the race, which was the first round of the highly-popular event which attracted around 180 seniors and 120 under-18s and used a new course at Hilton Fields Farm in Hilton village.
Williams covered the seven laps of a mainly grassed course in 54:07, 1:44 ahead of his nearest rival - Matlock CC's Lee Shunburne, while another Notts and Derby League regular, Chris Metcalfe (Charge Bikes), was another 13 seconds off the pace in third.
Hargroves Cycles' Joe Kirkham was best junior rider, the 16-year-old finishing sixth, just 2:48 behind Williams.
The league continues this Saturday (Sept 17) at Southglade Park in Nottingham.
Results:
Seniors:
1 Lee Williams (Team Wiggle) 54:07
2 Lee Shunburne (Matlock CC) @ 1:44
3 Chris Metcalfe (Charge Bikes) @ 1:57
4 James Thompson (Boneshakers) @ 2:21
5 Rob Parkin (Buzz Cycles) @ 2:31
6 Joe Kirkham (Hargroves Cycles) @ 2:48
7 Gareth Whittall (Clay Cross RT) @ 3:25
8 Andrew Stuart (TFN) @ same time
9 Jonathan Watson (Charge Bikes) @ 3:48
10 Rob Smail (Cycle Premier-Metaltek) @ 3:54
Juniors: Joe Kirkham
Veterans: Jonathan Watson
Under-23s: Oliver Watson (DVATC)
Women: Jules Toone (unattached)
Youth:
1 James Shaw (Heanor Clarion) 22:18
2 Arthur Green (Matlock CC) @ 1:10
3 William Cheaney (Lloyds Cycles) @ 1:49
4 Tom Weeds (Derby Mercury CC) @ 1:56
5 Will Gascoyne (Heanor Clarion) @ 3:10
6 Jack King (Langdale Lightweights) @ 3:13
Under-14s: Will Gascoyne
Girls: Sara Lomas (Matlock CC)
Under-12s: James Swadling (Nottingham Clarion)
Under-9s: Ben Chiltern (Derby Mercury)
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
