On challenging terrain over a distance of 62 miles, a full field takes on the Tour of the Mining Valleys
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Preview: Tour of the Mining Valleys RR
Sunday 16th August 2015 10.30am
Regional A (Band 3) 2/3/4 Category Road Race for Senior Men, Juniors, Women & Vets
62 miles / 100km – Under the rules of Welsh Cycling
HQ Details – Aberystwyth Rugby Club, Plascrug, Aberystwyth. SY23 1HL
Entry on the day – £24 (+ £10 Day membership of British Cycling for non-BC members /
£5 for British Cycling members who don’t hold a racing license).
Event preview
“Dubbed as a ‘Hilly Classic’ amongst Welsh road racers over the past 20 years or so, the Tour of the Mining Valleys is back and explores some of the lesser known back roads of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. These roads take the race through some picturesque former mining works of the old lead & zinc mines of the Ystwyth Valley, namely Craig Coch, Lisburne, Frongoch & Wemyss.
Having also run as an Elite category race in March under the ‘Angela Davies Memorial Road Race’ name, the area and terrain has proved popular amongst the both the Welsh & English road racing fraternity with the event being over-subscribed for the first time in its near twenty year history.
This time, the race is for 2/3/4 category riders and starts in Aberystwyth before heading out via 12 miles of rolling roads to reach the 14 mile circuit which will be tackled three and a half times meaning four ascents of the New Row prime hill, finishing just beyond the climb on the final (fourth) lap.
Previous winners include former national hillclimb champion James Dobbin, and former Welsh road race champions Gruffudd Lewis and Gareth McGuinness along with JLT Condor’s Richard Handley. Local entrants include Ystwyth Cycling Clubs Richard Eakins, Tom Swingler, Sean Grosvenor and Carwyn Henson with both Grosvenor and Swingler already posting impressive road race wins this
season.
With last year’s winner Richard Harris not returning to defend his title, team mate Ryan Brain pins number one on in his absence.
Racing starts at 10.30am from Aberystwyth Rugby Club.
Riders
1 Ryan Brain Cwmcarn Paragon Cycle Club 2nd
2 Alexandre Touche Cwmcarn Paragon Cycle Club 2nd
3 Luke Cornish Cwmcarn Paragon Cycle Club 2nd
4 Richard Bussell Aero-Coach/RST Sport 2nd
5 Glyndwr Griffiths Arctic Tacx RT 2nd
6 Greig Burt Beeston Cycling Club 2nd
7 Philip Hinch Brotherton Cycles 2nd
8 Mark Bowen Bynea CC 4th
9 Arwel Davies Bynea CC 3rd
10 Ioan Smallwood Cardiff Ajax CC 2nd
11 Kinsey McIlquham Cardiff JIF 2nd
12 Jimmy Smith Chester RC 2nd
13 Caron Jones Clwb Beicio Dwyfor Cycling Club 3rd
14 Gwyn Arfon Williams Clwb Beicio Egni 4th
15 Gareth McGuinness Clwb Beicio Egni 2nd
16 Gareth Hind Clwb Rasio Mona 4th
17 Mark Jones Clwb Rasio Mona 4th
18 David Parry Clwb Rasio Mona 3rd
19 Ben Butler Clwb Rasio Mona 3rd
20 Don White Cotswold Cycles RT 4th
21 William Roberts County Cycles Racing Team 2nd
22 Paul Hayward Cycle-Tec 3rd
23 Edmund Fowles Cycling Club Hackney 3rd
24 Ashton St. Hill Forza Cycles Racing Team 2nd
25 David Bees Forza Cycles Racing Team 2nd
26 Lewys Hobbs Forza Cycles Racing Team 3rd
27 Jonathan Shepherd Forza Cycles Racing Team 3rd
28 Vincent Thomas Forza Cycles Racing Team 2nd
29 Neal Craig Forza Cycles Racing Team 3rd
30 Phil Macdonald Harry Middleton Cycling Club 4th
31 Matthew Cartlidge Kuota – Spinergy – GSG 2nd
32 Chris Gambles Lancashire RC 2nd
33 Tony Workman Lancashire RC 3rd
34 Dominic Davies M and D Cycles / Fusion RT / WORX 4th
35 Jonathan Fowles Manchester Bicycle Club 2nd
36 Matthew Higgins Manchester Wheelers Club 3rd
37 James Ellmore Mid Shropshire Wheelers 2nd
38 Alex Harvey NFTO Race Club 2nd
39 James Eldridge NFTO Race Club2nd
40 Hefin Evans NFTO Race Club 2nd
41 Rhys Phillips NFTO Race Club 2nd
42 Andrew Turner NFTO Race Club 2nd
43 Mark Hannifan Onit Cycle 4th
44 David Jenkins Onit Cycle 2nd
45 Leon Pesticcio Onit Cycle 4th
46 Alex Thomas Onit Cycle 2nd
47 Stephane Pang Onit Cycle 2nd
48 David Jenkins Onit Cycle 2nd
49 David Scott Paramount CRT 4th
50 Stephen Gibson Peak Road Club 3rd
51 Tony Grassby Peak Road Club 3rd
52 Owen Line Pro Vision Cycle Clothing 2nd
53 Joshua Butler Queen’s Tower CC 3rd
54 Chris Huey Queen’s Tower CC 3rd
55 Edward Giles RP Racing Team 2nd
56 Gethin Llewelyn Swansea University RT-LeisureTime 3rd
57 Rhys Williams Swansea University RT-LeisureTime 2nd
58 Gruffudd Pugh-Jones Swansea University RT-LeisureTime 3rd
59 Jeremy Rees Swansea Wheelers CC 3rd
60 Karl Owen Team Chronomaster 2nd
61 Edward Roberts Team Elite 1st
62 Morgan Hughes Teamwallis Racing Team 2nd
63 David Thomas The Bulls 3rd
64 Ryan Bevis The Bulls 2nd
65 Thomas Vale The Bulls 3rd
66 Jonathan Pugh The Bulls 3rd
67 Craig Seaman Urban Cyclery 2nd
68 Andrew Parry Urban Cyclery 4th
69 Craig Seaman Urban Cyclery 2nd
70 Justin Harcourt Urban Cyclery 2nd
71 Peter Kibble Velocity Globalbike 2nd
72 Peter Kibble Velocity Globalbike 2nd
73 John Lindsay Wills Wheels Cycling Club 3rd
74 Carwyn Henson Ystwyth Cycling Club 3rd
75 Tom Swingler Ystwyth Cycling Club 2nd
76 Richard Eakins Ystwyth Cycling Club 3rd
77 Sean Grosvenor Ystwyth Cycling Club2nd
78 Kristian Bond Clwb Beicio Ystwyth 3rd
79 Thomas Richardson unattached 4th
80 John Hale unattached 4th
Reserves
81 Dafydd Hughes Energy Cycles 3rd
82 Oliver Cooper M and D Cycles / Fusion RT / WORX 4th
Course description The first 2 ½ miles of the race will be neutralised.
Leave Race HQ and proceed on access road to T-Junction at Plascrug Leisure Centre. Turn left and then right onto A44 (Llanbadarn Road).
After 1 mile, turn right onto A4120 Heol Y Bont. Follow this to roundabout (Morrisons Supermarket) where turn first left. After ½ mile take first left at roundabout onto A487 (Southgate).
Stay on A487 for 1 ½ mile to Llanfarian where turn A485 (Llanilar). After 1km, after summit of small climb, race is DE-NEUTRALISED.
After racing on A485 for 2 miles, turn left at Llanilar onto B4575 (M) to Trawscoed. Turns right (M) onto B4340 (6 miles) at Trawscoed to begin first of three and a half circuits.
Follows B4340 to junction with unclassified road (8 miles) where turn left (M) to follow unclassified road to Pontrhydygroes.
Turn left onto B4343 (M) at Pontrhydygroes (11 miles) and left again (M) after bridge in the village onto unclassified road to begin prime hill (11.6 miles).
Proceed through New Row and turn left (M) at Abermagwr back onto B4340 to complete 1 circuit (20 miles).
Complete three further circuits with further primes on same hill at 26 & 50 miles (1st lap and 3rd lap).
Upon climbing the prime hill for the fourth time (60 miles – no prime prize this time) the race then finishes just beyond the village (New Row), 1km beyond the prime line at 62 miles.
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