Graham Robins reports on the town centre circuit races where Wouter Sybrandy lapped the field to win the Elite race on Wednesday night, July 6.
Cycle racing returned to Guildford town centre for an evening of fast and frantic racing. The evening was dry and the course also, which is a good thing as part of the course is run over the cobbled stones up the high street.
The evening got underway with a race for 3rd cats, and the race was sponsored by Churchouse Accountants based in Guildford high street. The race was 20mins and 5 laps and soon after the start two riders Paul Hopkins (Merida UK) and Samuel Sturgeon (Team Terminator) attacked and soon got a lead over the chasing bunch. Lap after lap the two riders extended their lead until the bell lap.
As the two riders entered the narrow market street it was Paul that popped out first and attacked up the cobbles towards the finish. The two sprinted towards the line and Paul took the win by a bikes length.
Provisional Result
1st Paul Hopkins Merida UK
2nd Samual Sturgeon Team Terminator
3rd Michael Bell London Fire Brigade CC
More below….
Next up were the young riders, the star of the race was young Ben Tullet who attacked the course right from the start and had the full length of the high street lead on the first lap. He rode every lap as fast as he could and no one in the race could get close. The youth race was won by Matt Hargroves (Hargroves Cycles) from Danny Fox (Solihull CC) with Harvey Lowe (Hargroves Cycles) third. Other class winners were Tom Franklin (B) (Hargroves Cycles), Rachel Jary (C) (VC Londres) and Henry Jarrett (E) (Charlotteville CC).
The main race of the evening saw a full field of 46 riders line up alongside last year’s winner Wouter Sybrandy the tall Dutch man wearing the number one on his Sigma Sport shirt. There were many big names from the area all trying to take the win on the classic cobbled course.
Once the race got underway a group of six got away and soon opened up a gap, the group consisted of Sybrandy, Lee Smith (Felt-Colbournes), James Stuart (Team UK Youth), Jamie Newall (Team Corley Cycles),Marcel Six (Twenty3c-Obree), Chris McNamara (Team Corley Cycles), Ian Payne (London Dynamo), Alex Ray (Pasta Montegrappa), and Dave Clarke (Endura Racing) and a couple of riders but of the group.
As the leaders started to pick of the back markers they were pulled out of the race. Punctures were the order of the day with many riders coming into the pits from what looks like mainly rear wheels. In turned out that there was a couple of raised cobbles on the course which were catching some riders out.
About mid race the leader Sybrandy also succumbed to the cobbles and had to change his rear wheel. But once back up to speed he started to attack the leading bunch and one by one picked them off. By half distance he was one full lap up; he sat in behind the bunch but soon started to come past them again to lead a few laps before the end. After the bell he rode up high street to the applause of the large crowd that were clinging to the barriers.
A great night overall with big crowds lining the course and even the rain held off.
1) Wouter Sybrandy (Sigma Sport – Specialized)
2) Dave Clarke (Endura Racing)
3) Jake Hales (Team Corley Cycles-Cervelo)
4) James Stewart (Team UK Youth)
5) Will Fox (Forme Impsport SanLamere CT)
6) Ian Paine (London Dynamo)
7) Chris McNamara (Team Corley Cycles-Cervelo)
8) Jamie Newall (Team Corley Cycles-Cervelo)
9) David Creeggan (VC Meudon)
10) Lee Smith (Felt-Colbornes RT)
11) Jason White (CyclePremier.com-Metaltek)
12) Richard Mardle (Felt Colbornes RT)
13) Andrew Hargroves (Hargroves Cycles)
14) Alex Ray (Pasta Montegrappa – Zheroquadro)
15) James Millard (Team Corley Cycles-Cervelo)
16) Dante Carpenter (Astra Racing Team)
3rd’s
1) Paul Hopkins (Merida UK)
2) Samuel Sturgeon (Team Terminator)
3) Michael Bell (London Fire Brigade CC)
4) Chris Wood (Wyndymilla-Maxifuel)
5) Hoseph Laborero (Cycleworks.co.uk)
6) Brian Macpherson (VC Meudon)
7) Marc Adam (London Dynamo)
8) John Glaysher (…a3crg)
9) Dave Larkin (Team Velo Sportif)
10) Andrew Keynes (VC Meudon)
11) Neil Thomson (British Cycling Private) *
12) Andrew Keynes (VC Meudon)
13) Neil Thomson (British Cycling Private) *
14) Andy Sykes (Thames Velo)
15) Dave Faulkner (Charlotteville CC)
16) Harry Strudley (AWCycles.co.uk)
17) Dan Henchy (PBscience.com)
18) Philip Burnett (Mosquito Bikes Racing Team)
19) Greg Barber (Charlotteville CC)
20) Russ Clarke (Fit-For)
* obviously Neil can’t have come both 11th and 13th so I am just clarifying this with the commissaires and will update when I know the outcome
Youth Categories
YOUTH A BOYS
1) Matthew Hargroves (Hargroves Cycles)
2) Danny Fox (Solihull CC)
3) Harvey Lowe (Hargroves Cycles)
4) Mitchell Webber (Andover Wheelers)
5) Andrew Magnani (Prestige VC)
6) Andrew Pink (Charlotteville CC)
7) Callum Oliver (Rapha Condor CC)
8) Chris McGovern (Sutton Cycling Club/De Ver Cycles)
9) Elliot Phillips (VC Londres)
10) Jack Priddle (VC Jubilee)
11) Freddie Pritchard (Charlotteville CC)
12) Noah Phillips (VC Londres)
13) Jake Norman (Wyndymilla-Maxifuel)
14) Tom Paine (VC Jubilee)
15) Fergal Doran (British Cycling Private)
16) Ross King (Veloschils Interbike)
17) Ashley Dennis (VC Jubilee)
YOUTH A GIRLS
1) Katie Metalli (Bristol Cycling Development Squad)
YOUTH B BOYS
1) Tom Franklin (Hargroves Cycles)
2) Daniel Tulett (Hargroves Cycles)
3) Joe Truman (i-team.co.uk)
4) Aidan Woolven (Sutton Cycling Club/De Ver Cycles)
5) Mark Jacobs (VC Jubilee)
6) Oliver Cliff (VC Londres)
7) Oliver Priddle (VC Jubilee)
8) Max Bergin (VC Londres)
9) George Jary (VC Londres)
10) Zak Corum-Haines (VC Jubilee)
11) Joshua Holland (Charlotteville CC)
12) Kieran Woods (Charlotteville CC)
13) Martin Blackman (Sutton Cycling Club/De Ver Cycles)
14) Jed Webber (Andover Wheelers)
YOUTH B GIRLS
1) Amy Smith (VC Jubilee)
YOUTH C BOYS
1) Thomas Burnett (Preston Park YCC)
2) Isaac Wright (Preston Park YCC)
3) Matthew McGovern (Sutton Cycling Club/De Ver Cycles)
4) Ieuan Woods (Charlotteville CC)
5) Lewis Haller (Charlotteville CC)
6) George Sales (Redhill CC)
YOUTH C GIRLS
1) Rachel Jary (VC Londres)
YOUTH D BOYS
1) Ben Tulett (Herne Hill Youth)
2) Joe McGuinness (Hillingdon Slipstreamers)
3) Jay Allen (Palmer Park Velo RT)
4) Henry Jarrett (Charlotteville CC)
YOUTH E BOYS
1) Kye Lewis (Hillingdon Slipstreamers)
2) Luke Whatley (Charlotteville CC)
