Report: Woolly Mamil Winter Crit Series (Round 4)

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Masie Duckworth & Adam Lewis among the winners at a flooded Woolly Mamil Winter Crit Series at Stourport on February 8

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Women’s race

Anybody who has ever raced a bike will have bailed at some time. When you can’t find enough holes to breathe through and the handlebar tape has teeth marks in it, sometimes you just have to watch the bunch disappear up the road.

Stourport_Flooding

It’s a less common occurrence to have to bail the circuit out before a race can begin but that’s what the organisers found themselves doing at Stourport last Saturday.

This winter’s unprecedented weather meant the track side water feature of last week’s race had grown in to a small sea. Despite the valiant attempts of a number of hastily drafted volunteers, it was not to be shifted meaning the course was shorted a little allowing Noah to continue his boat building unmolested by racing cyclists.

Once underway, the healthy field of 25 women riders settled in to a now familiar pattern with Maxine Filby (Trek Coventry) often at the head of bunch setting a strong pace closely monitored by Darrelle Parker (Boom CC) and Masie Duckworth (Wolverhampton Wheelers CC) both of whom had featuring in podium positions during the series.
Working well together, the three pulled away from the field and established a significant gap, Duckworth displaying the race craft from her schooling at Wolverhampton Wheelers by following the right wheels and Filby showing her strength on the windy circuit.

Their break was well established entering the final straight and with a final scramble for position, Masie Duckworth (WWCC) took an excellent win from her breakaway companions with Maxine Filby (Trek Coventry) in second and Darrelle Parker (Boom CC)in a solid third.

Close observers of the race were treated to an appearance by a certain Tracy Moseley representing Malvern Cycle Sport, more often than not seen winning world class downhill mountain bike events, getting some early season speed work in.

WoolyMamil

 

Maxine Filby (2), and Darrelle Parker (3) Masie Duckworth (1) 

Results
1 Duckworth Masie
2 Filby Maxine
3 Parker Darelle
4 Keneko Hisayo
5 Jones Eleanor
6 Odell Sarah
7 Birtles Emma
8 Moseley Tracy
9 Phillips Jacqui
10 Ackland Lindsay

U14/u16 Boys and Girls
With the growing crowd of spectators half expecting to see the animals of the nearby West Midlands safari park being ushered to safety two by two at the rear of the flooded circuit, a healthy field of youth riders gathered for the start of their races.

Making light work of the challenging conditions and with the increasingly blustery wind blotting out their baying parents, the youth of the Midlands set about their work with aplomb. Of particular note today was an excellent ride from u14 rider Ben Healy (Halesowen ACC) who, with a solo attack, both caught and went through u16’s to take an excellent win.

Alice Law and Hollie Owens (WWCC) repeated their victories of last week in the u16 and u14 girls races respectively with Jake Stewart (Solihull CC) doing similarly in u16 boys.

Clearly, many of the young riders benefitted from the helpful track side advice to both ‘ride faster’ and indeed ‘close the gaps’ which undoubtedly led to some interesting conversations in the car on the way home.

Results

Youth A Boys
1 Stewart Jake
2 Lewis Will
3 Lewis Kier

Youth A Girls
1 Law Alice
2 Simmons Rebecca
3

Youth B Boys
1 Healy Ben
2 Lewis Matthew
3 Manfield Will

Youth B Girls
1 Owens Hollie
2 Homer Gabriella
3 Williamson Chloe

E/1/2/3
Not to be put off by flooding of biblical proportions, 24 riders signed up for this week’s thrilling instalment of senior racing. 10 minutes in to the 45 minute race, George Richardson (Unattached), Jack Escritt (Velocity WD40) and last week’s winner Adam Lewis of Belgium based outfit Terra Safety Shoes, had broken away from the field and established a useful break.

Realising the danger of the move, the more alert and able riders in the group set about a chase with Iain Palmer (Twickenham CC) being the first to respond closely followed by the young pairing of James Ireson (Wolverhampton Wheelers CC) and James Elmore (Mid Shropshire Wheelers).

Whilst never actually making contact with the breakaway riders, Palmer showed remarkable resilience by managing not only to hold off the pack but also to gradually distance it. Similarly, brave work by the two young James’s did eat away at the distance to the break although the reward for their joint effort was ultimately to be subsumed by the bunch towards the end of the race.

Nobody could accuse Richardson of a lack of strength or commitment as he put in some huge turns to lap the field with his younger breakaway partners within the final 5 laps. Leading out the sprint, Lewis and Escritt’s fast legs outpaced the strong man to take first and second places. The knowing smile on George Richardson’s face as he went over the line speaking volumes.

Palmer capped off a good day for him with a solo fourth with James Ireson keeping enough powder dry to take the bunch sprint for fifth.
A classy race run with great spirit and sportsmanship. Clearly the crowd were happy the race was run at a pace acceptable to them as nobody had told the seniors to ‘ride faster’. Bonus.

Results
1 Lewis Adam
2 Escritt Jack
3 Richardson George
4 Palmer Ian
5 Ireson James
6 Noble Nick
7 Cox Simon
8 Watts Daniel
9 Ellmore James
10 McKinn Daniel

4th Cat
The 4th Cat race this week reflected the worsening weather conditions and was attritional in nature with no single rider or small group being allowed to tap off the front.

Lots of work was being done on the front of the bunch by the lads from the Worcester St Johns club and, as the race progressed, many riders were unable to hold the strong pace they set. With the strengthening wind blowing in seemingly uninterrupted from the Urals, it looked increasingly like a bunch gallop would decide the race.
Sure enough, into the final straight for the last time and Charlie Hargreaves of the Solihull club took the win to conclude the final race of the series.

Results
1 Hargreaves Charlie
2 Thomas Harry
3 Withers Joseph
4 Hickinbottom Sean
5 Alcock Matthew
6 Smith Danny
7 Minton Stephen
8 Holyman William
9 Wilkes Joshua
10 Thomas Mark

That concludes the racing for this year’s series. The organisers Mamil Cycling would like to thanks the riders for their support, our chilled to the bone Commissaires and Stourport Sport Club for their hospitality.

A summary of the series and overall standings will follow.

 

 

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