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Report: Central Regional Road Race Championships

Event: 22nd May 2011
Promoted by: Spirit Racing Team
Event HQ: Dorton Village Hall, Chilton, Buckinghamshire
Report: Mark Doel
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A popular winner won Central's RR champs in Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley Cycles) proving that a wise old head can outwit some younger riders.

On a very windy day 72 riders started the Central Region Championship RR over 140km, promoted by an excellent team from Spirit Racing on a course worthy of a championship. The course had 3 climbs per lap of Chearsley, Ashendon and Dorton.

Lap 1 saw a duo of Mike Wragg (Python RT) and Ian Knight (Team Corley Cycles/ Cervelo /Alpha R.C) working hard to work a lead of 30 secs by the climb of Dorton. This Duo worked well together for the next 2 laps and held a slim lead of 40secs. But had been joined by Matt Melville (AW Cycles)and by the end of Lap 3 Paul Londors (Python RT) also made the front of the race.

The strongest team in the race was Team Corley Cycles and at half distance they put another rider in the lead group with Simon Henley bridging the gap with the promoting clubs Mark Baines (Spirit Racing) the bunch was now at 1.30. The bunch were shedding riders out the back faster now and was down to about 35 riders but some of the big hitters were ready to start chasing. With 3 laps to go the break lost Matt Melville and a sudden downpour near the finish made the road very slippery and a few riders came down.

At this point 2010 winner Simon Gaywood, Roy Chamberlain, Ashley Cox (Corley Cycles), Matt Jones (Team Raleigh), Richard Mardle (Felt-ColbornesRT) drove hard for nearly 1 lap and made the break up to 8 riders. With the bell sounding and the break passing through the finish for the last 18km loop spectators were asking would it be a Corley Cycles rider or would Matt Jones from Raleigh do the business.

Roy Chamberlain was the first to try as the race made the left turn to drop down towards Chearsley by just edging of the front and getting the gap. Riding hard he gained a gap that was never closed, being chased by Matt Jones (Raleigh) and policed by Ashley Cox.

That is how it stayed for the finish with Chamberlain staying clear by a slender 5 secs of Jones outsprinting Cox for 2nd and 3rd. The rest of the race was spread over the course with time gaps extending to 7 +mins.

Speaking to Roy at the end about the event: "That's one for the oldies a real hard race". Asked when he made his move he said "I just had a dig after the finish I was not going to try on the hardest part of the course". "All went well on the last lap and held on to the finish".

Prizes were given out by Russell Rowles of Spirit Racing joking that next year he will add a lap!!

RESULTS

1 Roy Chamberlain Team Corley Cycles / Cervelo 4.06.38 Elite
2 Matthew Jones Team Raleigh at 5 secs Elite
3 Ashley Cox Team Corley Cycles / Cervelo st Elite
4 Paul Londors Python RT at 2.38 1
5 Simon Gaywood Team Corley Cycles / Cervelo at3.13 Elite
6 Richard Mardle Felt-Colbornes RT st 1
7 Simon Henley Team Corley Cycles / Alpha RC st 2
8 Mark Baines Spirit Racing at 3.57 2
9 Mike Jackson CC Luton st 2
10 Jake Hales Team Corley Cycles / Cervelo st 1
11 Richard Wood Team Milton Keynes st 1
12 Ian Knight Team Corley Cycles / Alpha RC at 3.59 1
13 Roger Browne Beeline Bikes RT at 4.28 2
14 Lewis Atkins Twenty3C Orbea at 4.30 Elite
15 Liam Stones 45 Road Club at 4.30 2
16 Alex Peterson AW Cycles.co.uk at 4.35 1
17 Paul Caton Anders TMG Horizon RT at 5.08 3
18 Samuel Price Team Synergy at 5.28 3
19 David Palmer Renault Rotor Colbert RT at 5.30 2
20 Joe Harris Reading CC st 2
21 Nigel Williams Python RT at 6.13 2
22 Jamie Scott Renault Rotor Colbert RT at 6.17 2
23 Chris Snook Banjocycles.com at 6.24 2
24 John Peters CC Luton at 6.47 2
25 Robert King AW Cycles.co.uk at 7.14 1
26 Stephen Bradbury AW Cycles.co.uk at 7.16 2J

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.