James King (Mountivation Development Academy) took the victory, in the first round of the Sunderland Clarion Crit Series
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James King (Mountivation Development Academy) took the victory, in the first round of the Sunderland Clarion Crit Series at Hetton Lyons, from William Haynes (Blackhawk Bikes) after a successful breakaway.
The 2/3/4 race, sponsored by TTR Barnes chartered accountants, attracted a strong field from around the region and beyond. The strength showed with a number of break away attempts punctuating the race, with Blackhawk Bikes riders doing their best to animate proceedings. The first prime of the 50 minute race was won by Alan Nixon (Blackhawk Bikes), stealing it from under the nose of his teammate William Haynes.
The second prime also saw Nixon take the spoils. As the race appeared to be coming back together, Haynes and King broke free from the bunch. The duo worked well together which saw them build up an advantage, behind them tired legs were beginning to take their toll.
The duo contested the third prime with King taking it from Haynes. By the time they took the bell it was clear that the victor would come from the pairing. In the end it was King who played his cards right, sitting on the rear wheel of his companion until the opportune moment arose on the finishing straight to take his victory. William Brown of Blackhawk Bikes led home the bunch to take third.
In the 4th category race it was Rob Shields (Gosforth RC) who took the victory, narrowly beating Adam Lee (EMC) in an inevitable bunch sprint, the podium was rounded out with Lee’s teammate Dave Jones. The race was a cagey affair with no room given for breaks to get away, the primes provided a little room for riders to get away but not for long. The first prime was taken by David Kirton (Cleveland Wheelers), while Adam Lee snatched the second.
After 30 minutes of racing it was all still together, and Shields took the sprint from the EMC duo to win.
Round 2 of the Sunderland Clarion Crit Series in association with TTR Barnes Chartered Accountants takes place on Saturday 12th, with the third and final round taking place on the 26th May.
Results 2/3/4 Category Race
1, James King (Mountivation Development Academy)
2, William Haynes (Blackhawk Bikes)
3, William Brown (Blackhawk Bikes)
4, Adam Robertson (Blumilk.com)
5, David Johnson (Adept Precision Racing Team/North East Healthcare Solutions)
6, Rick King
7, Andrew Wooler
8, Iain Beveridge (Sunderland Clarion)
9, Alex Bottomley (Velo 29-OTR-Vankru)
10, Rob Wheeler
Results 4th Category Race
1, Rob Shields (Gosforth RC)
2, Dave Jones (EMC)
3, Adam Lee (EMC)
4, Jaack Van der Werff
5, David Kirton (Cleveland Wheelers)
6, Matty Cooper
7, Dan Bachini (Kyklos/ Edco Racing Team)
8, Darren Binks (Blackhawk Bikes)
9, Matt France (Sunderland Clarion)
10, Phil Bliss
PHOTOS:Â http://www.flickr.com/groups/sunderlandclarion/
