Location: Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth
Event: 30 March 2013

Pedal Heaven rider Lewis Atkins proved victorious in the elite race at the Portsmouth Easter Circuits, staged by Racing Club Omega at the Mountbatten Centre on Easter Saturday.

On a very chilly morning at the Hampshire track team tactics played a major part of this morning’s race.

As each attack was made it was soon pulled back, and several riders tried and failed to get away in the 50 minute plus five laps race. It took until three laps to go when Lewis Atkins (Pedal Heaven), Jake Martin (Kingsnorth International Wheelers) and Tristan Robbins (Cardiff JIF) jumped clear.

The whole race was run at a very fast pace and the most active rider throughout was Jake as time and time again he came to the front to drive it on. Rowan Horner and Simon Brooks (VC St Raphael both took turns at pulling him back and they were rewarded top ten finishes.

With three laps to go Lewis Jake and Tristan were ten seconds lead over Simon and Francis Cade (Pedal Heaven) with the bunch going really fast to pull the m back but running out of laps in which to do it.

The lead was maintained until the bell and then onto the finish.

In the women’s race Jenny Hudson (VC St Raphael) out sprinted Jo Munden (Pedal Heaven) in a race that took a long time to get going but when it did Jenny and Jo eased of the front and soon built up a lead that nearly saw them catch the remainder of the bunch on the last lap.

Jo had been the most active throughout the race but each time she tried to get away the Raphael girls were there to rein her back.

When Jo kicked once more Jenny went with her and these two stayed away for the remainder of the race. On the last turn to the finish line Jenny kicked and pulled away taking the win.

We then had to wait for over a minute until the bunch rolled in and then in a repeat of last week’s dominance the other three Raphael women fan out across the track to claim the minor places.

Results:

E123:
1 Lewis Atkins Pedal Heaven
2 Jake Martin Kingsnorth International Wheelers
3 Tristan Robbins Cardiff JIF
4 Francis Cade Pedal Heaven
5 Simon Brooks VC St Raphael

Women:
1 Jenny Hudson VC St Raphael
2 Jo Munden Pedal Heaven
3 Nicci Meadows VC St Raphael
4 Ellie Gilham VC St Raphael
5 Hannah Manley VC St Raphael

3rd Cat:
1 Michael Ford SRAM
2 Paul Helyer Blazing Saddles
3 Luke Earley PM

4th Cat:
1 Mike Smith Specialized Cycles
2 Alan Collins Portsmouth North End
3 James Braid Wiggle

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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.