Evie Richards and Cameron Orr sealed the elite victories at the fourth round of the Lloyds Bank National Cross-country Series, in what was a busy weekend of racing at Woody’s Bike Park in Cornwall.
Short track
The short track races kicked off the weekend’s action, with the intense course giving riders plenty of opportunities to put some power down, with tight berms, jumps and fast sprints up the climbs.
The open senior race saw a fast start, with bar-to-bar racing into the first few corners. Max Greensill (Hope Factory Racing) showed no signs of slowing, taking first place, with Innes McDonald (Scotia Off-Road RT) fending off Max Standen (Southfork Racing.co.uk) to take second and third respectively.
Grace Inglis (Unattached) took a tremendous win in the female senior race, ahead of Bethany-Ann Jackson (Pine Sport) in second and Hope Factory Racing’s Ruby James, who sprinted to the line to claim the final podium position.
In the open youth race, it was Luca Hill (BW Cycling) who stormed to victory ahead of Alarik Knox (Verulam) in second and Oliver Carter in third (Deeside Thistle CC), while Olivia Poole (Deeside Thistle CC) took the victory in the female youth race, ahead Daisy Wilkinson (Scotia Off-Road RT) in second and Freya Mowbray (Scotia Off-Road RT) in third.
In the open veterans, Paul Oldham (Hope Tech Factory Racing) was quick off the mark and continued to put good distance between himself and the rest of the field, taking the win by just under three minutes. David Mitchinson (Cinnamon Cafe-RT) took second place, ahead of Mark Wood (Barrow Central Wheelers) in third.
A battle between Angela Laycock (Army Cycling Union) and Rowena Duffield (Cwncarn Paragon CC) in the female veterans saw just two seconds separate them, with Laycock pipping Duffield to the finishing line, and Karen Heppenstall (Grity Race Team) rounding off the podium in third.
Olympic
Elite
Cameron Orr (Wilier Triestina Vittoria Factory) took an early lead in the open elite race, putting a comfortable 20 seconds between himself and challenger Max Greensill (Hope Factory Racing) by the end of the second lap, and never looked back.
It was a close battle for the remaining podium positions, with Luke Peyton (Four4th) taking third, Harry Howlett (Grity Race Team) in fourth, and Reuben Orr (Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy) taking fifth.
In the female elite race, Evie Richard (Trek Factory Racing), Isla Short (Ghost Factory Racing) and Grace Inglis (Unattached) formed an early breakaway in the first lap, but it was Richards and Short who would go on to battle for first place over the remaining five.
Short lead for a majority of the race, but was unable to keep Richards at bay, with Richards taking the win thanks to some rapid pace on the flat sections. Inglis battled ton third, followed by Holly MacMahon (Southborough and District Wheels) in fourth and Daisy Harper Brown (Unattached) in fifth.
Junior
In the open junior race, Innes Macdonald (Scotia Off-Road RT) and Max Standen (Southfork Racing.co.uk) were neck-and-neck before Standen made his move on the final lap to take home the win. Macdonald took second, ahead of Dec Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) in third, Alex Hart (Grity Race Team) in fourth and Ben Coppola (SCOTT Pioneer DJ) in fifth.
Bethany-Ann Jackson (Pine Sports) blew the field away in the female junior race, ahead of Greta Lawless (Unattached) in second, Evie Strachan (RR23) in third, Hope Factory Racing’s Madeline Moorhouse Smith in fourth and Ellie Mitchinson (Montezuma’s Race Team) in fifth.
Youth and juvenile
A tight race between Luke Trafford (Shibden Cycle Centre) and Arthur Limb (Matlock CC) saw the pair side-by-side for much of the race, but on the third lap it was Limb who put the power down to take a comfortable win. Trafford came in second, followed by Luca Hill (BW Cycling) in third. Freya Mowbray (Scotia Off-Road RT) secured her second podium of the weekend in the female youth race, taking the win ahead of Mazie Harper (Pine Sport) in second and Daisy Wilkinson (Scotia Off-Road RT) in third.
Zachary Hutcinson (Clifton CC) took an early lead in the open juvenile race, and couldn’t be caught despite Zach Buchan’s (Pentland Racers) best efforts. Benjamin Whitehouse (RR23) took third. Olivia Poole (Deeside Thistle CC) took another victory in the female juvenile race, ahead of Aoife Scawn (Dartmoor Velo) in second and Emma Knox (Verulam) in third.
Veterans
Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) and Philip Holwell (www.zepnat.com RT) battled it out in the open veterans race, with Holwell making the most of the tough climbs to take the lead, but he was reigned back in by Oldham on the descents. Holwell struggled to hold onto the pace and Oldham went on to take another victory, with Holwell taking second, ahead of Chris Lever (Cookson Cycles) in third. It was a repeat of the short-track results in the female vets race, where Angela Laycock (Army Cycling Union) took first, ahead of Rowena Duffield in second and Karen Heppenstall taking third.
In the open grand veterans, Marc Chamberlain (TY Cycles Race Team) stormed to victory after picking his way through the field to take the win by more than two minutes. Douglas Cameron (Unattached) took home second, ahead of Sam Humphrey (ASSOS UK Racing team) in third. In the Female Grand Veterans race Helen Pattinson took the win, ahead of Julie de Leeuw in second and Christina Payton in third.
Grant Johnson (Unattached) continued his winning streak in the super veterans class, taking the win ahead of Andy Weaving (TY Cycles Race Team) in second and Mick Pilcher (Numplumz Mountainbikers) in third. Carolyn Spiers took another podium place for Grity Race Team.
Expert
In the open expert field, Adam Potter (Unattached) took a tremendous win, but it was celebrations all round for the Magspeed Team, with Thomas Crapper taking home second and Dan Clark taking his first national series podium in third. In the female expert Megan Bettles (Numplumz Mountainbikers) took the win, ahead of Rachel Bennet (Unattached) in second and Beatrix Kiehlmann (Royal Albert CC) in third.
Sport and fun
Dominic Clarke (Unattached) took a resounding win in the open sport category, ahead of Corben Haynes (Unattached) in second and Thomas Hocking (Mud Dock Racing) in third. In the fun race, Dominic Rorke (Peebles CC) took home first place ahead of Keith Bucman (Unattached) in second and Christopher Wilkinson (Scotia Off-Road RT) in third.
The final round of the series takes place over the weekend of 29-30 June in Tong, Bradford.
