Location: Great Chesterford, Essex
Event: 15 April 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports

Tom Stephenson of Colchester CC prevailed in a 62 mile race on a very tough course in Great Chesterford.

Only 23 riders from a starting field of 60 managed to complete the event on a circuit which featured lots of climbing.

The end of the race saw a bunched sprint finish up a hill and it was the 32-year-old Essex rider who mustered up the strength to take the win.

Lubomir Bleak of Welwyn Wheelers finished three bike lengths behind Stephenson with the rest of the pack, led by Mark Garfield (Fenland Clarion) some 20 metres behind.

Stephenson said: “There was a big two-stage hill on the course and a very strong northerly wind which made it tough going.

“A few small attempts were made to get away but no one really managed it. I think towards the end, everyone was just mutually suffering.

“When I came up to the hill, I just tried to keep the pace as high as possible and I think that worked.”

Results:

3/4
1 Tom Stephenson (Colchester CC)
2 Lubomir Belak (Welwyn Wheelers)
3 Mark Garfield (Fenland Clarion)
4 Wayne Maguire (PCH UK)
5 Ben Brown (Hackney CC)
6 Matt White (East London Velo)
7 Colin Ward (Essex Roads CC)
8 Chris Hughes (Cambridge CC)
9 Jason Jeffers (East London Velo)
10 Mark Hopkins (East London Velo)

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.