WXCRL Autumn Road Race

Link: Interview with League winner Richard Eastham

The 3 leaders on lap 2

This was the last race of the year held on the Holt circuit near Wimborne in Dorset, and Richard Eastham (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) has won the inaugural WXCRL 2009 Championship with one event left. Mark Standhaft the race organiser said "Richard has been the most consistent performer picking up points in nearly every race he's ridden. Never outside the top 3 in the table, has Richard won points in our first event back in February right through to last Saturday's road race".

The circuit was dry and after the early morning mist cleared it turned out to be a very sunny morning. As the riders rode away from the HQ the race had to be reduced by one lap so this was going to be a three lap sprint around a course with a 25min lap time. A rather gentle run out up the hill and through the finish before racing started in earnest.
Once the race turned on the main road the first attack went away but with the bunch rolling along at 26mph it wasn't long before they were caught. As the riders approached the tight downhill turn at Furzhill there was a ‘moment' in the middle of the bunch when Andrew Beken (Bournemouth Arrow CC) very nearly parted company with his bike, managing to unclip his shoes and put his chest onto the bars to stop himself from going over the bars. Andrew thinks that either he was caught out by the gravel on the acorns on the corner.

The chasing group on lap 2

As the race approached the village of Holt near the HQ with just over a lap to go, three riders had managed to get a 20sec gap over the bunch. Richard Eastham, Roland Tilley and Andrew Bryson seemed to be working hard together, but the bunch were controlled and eager to chase them down. The riders from Offcamber were working on the front, and when the four on the front seemed to waver they had their man (Paul Hopkins) where they wanted him.

Tim Dunford claims the win

As the race approached the finish line heads down, it was Tim Dunford who managed to get a lead out from Paul Hopkins who in turn had passed Roland Tilley with a couple of meters to go. Then as the lower placed riders rolled through the finish area they were shouting that there had been a crash. One rider had taken an unscheduled trip into the shrubbery somersaulting through the air landing in thorns but otherwise unhurt, and Richard Eastham walked through the finish area having been involved.

Provisional Results
1 Tim Dunford Team Torq 1:43:16
2 Paul Hopkins Offcamber st
3 Roland Tilley Ride Team st
4 Andrew Bryson DHCyclesport.co.uk/Colnago @ 2 sec
5 Jamie Howard Exeter Wheelers @ 3 sec
6 James Jones Didcot Phoenix CC st
7 Barry Clewett Bournemouth Arrow CC/Hotel Col st
8 Simon Hoyle Paramount CRT st
9 Hefin Price CMC st
10 Chris Roxburgh Total Fitness Bath st

Graham Robins writes, we have come to the end of a fantastic series of races with all those who have competed saying how well run each event has been and are looking forward to next year. Don and Mark Standhaft have put on twenty events this year and now they say they are looking forward to next year after they get over this year. This was the inaugural WXCRL Championships and Don said at the end "we have had a good series, there were some good points and some not so good but overall the races have gone really well. We would like a few more clubs to come forward and help promote events, the league does about 75% of the work but they still would like clubs to offer their support. We will be back next year hopefully with a few more events; we have the courses and not forgetting the very successful three days Dorset Tour".

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