Location: Corunna Barracks, Ludgershall, Wiltshire
Event: 9 March 2013
Phil Reynolds (Peter Hansford Cycles) took the spoils at round nine of the Ludgershall winter series when he out sprinted Ben Sumner (Beeline Cycles) taking a clear win by one second on the line.
The morning started wet for the racing but throughout the morning the course dried and the sun even made a brief appearance which pushed the temperatures up slightly.
The start of the E/1/2 race saw three riders form a working group on the front when Phil, Richard Phillips-Scofield (Hantspol CC) and Steve Cottington (Cadence RT) gained a handful of seconds over the small bunch. Will Fox (Metaltek) had managed to pull away from the bunch and was slowly catching the leaders.
At one third distance of the 45 minutes plus three-lap race there were two groups of three, the leading group consisted of Phil Reynolds, Richard and Steve. The next group of three five second back were Will, Tom Smith (Felt-Colbornes Hargroves RT) and Ben, with the bunch 25 seconds back.
The lead stayed the same for a little while until after around 30 minutes the whole race came back together again. The next rider to attack was Tom Bowering (VO2 Dev Squad), he managed to stay away for a few laps before once again the race come back together.
With the time out and the final three laps beckoning Phil and Ben were clear on the front of the group which was now down to five riders.
At the bell the two leaders were five seconds clear of a chasing group but they had lost Richard. He had stopped to change a wheel after a puncture, although he still managed to close down the remainder of the bunch and not finish last.
And so it was Phil who outpaced Ben on the line with Will getting the better of Tom.
The third cat race came down to a three-way tussle at the bell when Tom Key (SURC) closed in on the two leaders, Peter Barham (Fred Williams Cycles) and Matthew Milden (Mud Sweat and Gears), as they crossed the line. The remainder of the lap saw the three ease off the front and Tom held out for the win right on the line.
The earlier 4th cat races were split into odds and even numbers. Both the races were 30 minutes plus three laps in length and both races came down to bunch sprints.
Provisional Results:
E123:
1 Phil Reynolds Peter Hansford Cycles 45mins +3laps
2 Ben Sumner Beeline Cycles
3 Will Fox Metaltek Knights of Old
4 Tom Smith Felt- Colbornes Hargroves RT
5Tom Bowering VO2 Dev Squad
Third Cat:
1 Tom Key SURC 35mins +3laps
2 Peter Barham Fred Williams Cycles @st
3 Matthew Milden Mud sweat and Gears @st
Fourth Cat:
Odd Nos:
1 Kurtis Rowe Yeovil CC
2 Tom Nixon SURC
3 Barnaby Cox Gillingham Wheelers
Even Nos:
1 Paul Richardson Bournemouth Arrow
2 Paul Helyer Blazing Saddles
3 Jon Hicks Pearson Cycles
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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.
