Gordon Wiseman writes … Riding for the Essex based Pro Cycle Hire UK Racing Team, Milton Keynes Wayne Maguire sits proudly at the top of the rider rankings in this year’s Eastern Road Race League after his fourth place in Sunday’s Eagle RC RR.
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And with PCH UK lying second overall in the Team competition, with nearly two months of the 2012 racing season completed the positions in the ERRL are almost identical to this time last year in what was the first year for the boys in the distinctive PCH UK colours.
Maguire was accompanied in the 100km Eagle race by his team-mates Joe Giggins and Dan Scott but it is his consistent finishing – fourth place in the event was his third top 4 finish in four races – that means he now leads his nearest rival by 7 points.
The weather played a big part in the outcome of the race, the more than 60 strong field being reduced to around only 20 or so finishers as the elements took their toll.
With 6 laps of a difficult circuit to face, Maguire saw Giggins go up the road in the early skirmishes as Joe tried to pull back a lone rider’s attack but because of Giggins efforts Maguire was able to sit in the bunch, protected from the wind as his team-mate battled on ahead.
“With Joe chasing the lead I knew I could sit in” explained Maguire, “as it meant the team were in a position to get a result if his chase succeeded”. It didn’t but when the race came back together that meant Maguire could attack the field himself as he challenged the opposition to chase him down.
“But everything was together as we hit the climb for the last time” he said. “I was about the third wheel back as the sprint kicked off but I was over geared and so couldn’t build up my speed enough. But fourth place meant I’ve now picked up enough points this year already to reclaim my 2nd category license so I’m more than pleased with that”.
• Although not able to finish in that race – a broken spoke meant he had to pull out close to the end – Giggins had notched up his second win of the year in the Eagle Road Club Good Friday Circuit Races at Redbridge over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Competing on the same closed circuit that he’d scored his maiden race win just two weeks earlier, Joe had set out at the start of the 1 hour plus 5 lap race to cover all attacks where possible to try to keep the field together so he could hopefully use his sprint in the chase to the finishing line.
And that’s exactly what he managed to do. “It was difficult covering all the breaks but I had to give it a go” he explained.
“The final sprint started earlier on the final lap and I could feel everyone around me pushing down harder on their pedals in the push for the line. I got slightly boxed in at one point but a small gap appeared and I went for it.
“But by the time we got to the top of the climb my legs were ready to explode and I could feel riders about to catch me. But having done so much hard work I wasn’t having any of that and just held on for my second win. It was great!”
