Location: Palatine Leisure Centre, Blackpool
Event: 5 May 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports
Second-season rider James Chamberlain (Cyclesport International RT) took the honours in the third-category senior race which brought a day of high-speed racing to a successful conclusion on the Palatine Circuit in Blackpool.
The 36-year-old, from Wilmslow in Cheshire, crossed the line ahead of Dave Micklethwaite (3RT) to register his first win in the first round of the Palatine Cycling Development Group Series.
Demonstrating that there is an enthusiastic new audience of riders coming through in the area, Palatine Spring Special No 1 was well supported while the North West region’s most experienced youth riders were away on the Isle of Man or heading off to the UK School Games.
The Palatine circuit offers a great opportunity for new riders to compete and the races on offer at the Spring Specials reflect this; with events appropriate for youth riders straight out of Go-Ride Racing and senior racing for 4th cats amongst other events on offer.
The youth racing was very competitive, with victories for Tyler Lloyd (Youth E), Adam Fortune (Youth D) and Alistair Leivers who went clear with Nathan Hawthorn and took the win in the youth C race.
Reece Player (Mossley CRC) won the youth B race from a bunch sprint. In the youth A race, a brave solo attack from Zac Loney (Ythan CC) took him clear for the win, Oscar Williamson (Mossley CRC) gave chase and took second ahead of the bunch.
Hayley Edwards and Lauren Brown completed a one-two for Champion Systems Maxgear in the third and 4th cat women’s event, with Vanessa Whitfield (VC St Raphael) third.
The 4th cat men’s event proved very popular in terms of entries and it was noticeable that a number of youth riders from earlier events were now spectators supporting their Dad’s in the event. Richard Sagar (North Lancs RC) took a convincing victory in the bunch sprint, ahead of Matthew Hacker (North Cheshire Clarion) and Daniel Stocchero (3RT).
In the final event of the day, the 3rd cat men’s race, Dave Micklethwaite (3RT) went clear from the start and was joined by James Chamberlain and Robert Lockhart (Cyclesport International). These three quickly established a lead of around 15 seconds, only for Robert Lockhart to crash out of the race when his front tyre rolled off the rim coming out of the south end turn.
Chamberlain and Micklethwaite continued to work well together, but the bunch were closing at times as a result of the driving force of Derek Parkinson. However, the chase behind was uncoordinated and Parkinson decided that his best approach would be to give chase alone. Over the course of the last 10 laps, Parkinson provided the spectators with a nail biting finish, closing to within five seconds of the leading pair. It was too late for him to make the junction though, so Chamberlain and Micklethwaite contested the finish with Chamberlain taking a hard earned victory from Micklethwaite. Parkinson hung on for third place ahead of the bunch.
Online entries are still available for the next events on the 26 May and 16 June.
Results:
3rd category:
1 James Chamberlain (Cyclesport International RT)
2 Dave Micklethwaite (3RT)
3 Derek Parkinson (Drag2zero.com)
4 Paul Cheetham (Team Ioptix.co.uk)
5 Adam Blakeley (Pendle Forest CC)
6 Phil Brydgyes (Seamons CC)
7 Richard Line (Stourbridge Velo)
8 Robert Standring (Team V-Sprint Racing)
9 Mick Collins (RST Racing Team)
10 Joshua Cutler (RST Racing Team)
4th category:
1 Richard Sagar (North Lancs RC)
2 Matthew Hacker (North Cheshire Clarion)
3 Daniel Stocchero (3RT)
4 Colin Hodgson (St Helens CRC)
5 Simon Mulholland (Teamwallis CHH RT)
6 Peter Lloyd (H Middleton Cycles)
7 John Clegg (Ribble Valley CRC)
8 James Milligan (Cyclesport International RT)
9 Austin Aldred (Cleveleys RC)
10 Jonathan Caldwell (Warrington RC)
Women:
1 Hayley Edwards (Champion System-Maxgear RT)
2 Lauren Brown (Champion System-Maxgear RT)
3 Vanessa Whitfield (VC St Raphael)
4 Charlotte Walton (VS Cycles)
5 Frances White (Champion Systems-Maxgear RT)
6 Liz Waterhouse (University of Manchester)
7 Nicola Soden (Champion System-Maxgear RT)
8 Heather Bamforth (VC St Raphael)
Under-16s:
1 Zac Loney (Ythan CC)
2 Oscar Williamson (Mossley CRT)
3 Ellis Kirkbride (Border City Wheelers)
Under-14s:
1 Reece Player (Mossley CRT)
2 Joseph Baldwin (Salt Ayre Cog Set)
3 Joseph Armstrong (Border City Wheelers)
Girls:
Joely Side (Bolton Hot Wheels)
Under-12s:
1 Alistair Leivers (BYCA)
2 Nathan Hawthorn (CS Pendle)
3 Corrine Side (Bolton Hot Wheels)
Girls:
Corinne Side
Under-10s:
1 Adam Fortune (Kirklees Cycling Academy)
2 Ben Peatfield (Bolton Hot Wheels)
3 Ava Oxley-Szilaggi (Wakefield Triathlon Club)
Girls:
Ava Oxley-Szilaggi
Under-8s:
1 Tyler Lloyd (H Middleton CC)
2 Nathan Fortune (Kirklees Cycling Academy)
3 Samuel Kendall (Liverpool Century)
Girls:
Tilly Barlow (CS Pendle)
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.
