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Report: MTB Midweek Madness Series R1
2 June 2011
Promoted By: Bike Club
Race HQ: Clayton Vale, Manchester
Words: Craig Blain
The first round of the MTB Madness Series 2011 got underway with a great turn out with over 40 riders taking part in a fast paced action packed race.
The task set for all the entrants was 40 minutes plus one lap of the challenging course which took in some fast paced single track sections, steep climbs and technical descents.
The racing was fierce from the start with the large field battling for position into the first tight single track section. The field was further strung out as after a tight hairpin turn they were faced with the first of many short sharp climbs on the course.
The event attracted a wide range of riders, from people entering their first race to seasoned racers using the opportunity to hone their skills over a shorter sprint distance, the fastest and fittest of which completed their opening lap in less than seven minutes. The pace soon settled down to see the leading group fighting for positions over six lap's of the gruelling course.
Tom Albutt of Joyriders MTB Holidays and Adrian Lawrence of Team Bglobal kept the pressure on for the entire race, contesting the first three finishing places with rider Jack Humphreys. The relentless pace set by the two front riders saw them pull away from the rest of the field as Tom and Adrian finished 1st and 2nd while Jack was drawn into a fight for 3rd with Hope rider John Mackeller. This resulted in a 3rd place for Jack Humphreys who also collected 1st placed junior making it a good day all round for the Wheelbase/Cannondale rider.
Race organisers Bike Club, British Cycling's Staff Cycling Club, put on a great race for all headed up by a team of volunteers who made the event work so well. Special thanks must go out to Bike Club members Tom Hodgkinson and Lisa Graham who headed up the event which was all in aid of the Manchester Go-Ride Racing League, a local junior cycle racing league for young people in and around the Manchester area.
See you at the next race:
Series Calendar
R2: Boggart Hole Clough - Thursday 17th June
R3: Chorlton Water Park - Thursday 1st July
R 4: Clayton Vale Park - Thursday 15th July
R5: Boggart Hole Clough - Thursday 29th July
R6: Chorlton Water Park - Thursday 12th August
For more information on the MTB Madness Series 2011 or the Manchester Go-Ride Racing League please visit: www.britishcycling.org.uk
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.
