National Masters Criterium Championships

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Laura Cameron, Jay Eastwood and Roy Chamberlain just three of the many champions crowned at the British Masters Crit Championships

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National Masters Criterium Championships
(thanks to Richard Hopkins for full results following the report)

REPORT

The National Bowl, Milton Keynes, 30th July
by Chris Lovibond

To help with the understanding of this report a couple of explanations are necessary. First, masters championships are divided into five year age categories, from cat. A (30-34 years) up to cat. I (70-75 years). In this series some categories were combined in the same race in order to achieve adequate fields.

A second point is that the Milton Keynes circuit is more demanding than it may seem to someone standing at the start and finish line, since it includes a section with a number of tight bends through car parks at the lower end of the circuit, which is followed by a climb to the finish.

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Finish of the Category F race 

The Races

Categories A & B (30-34 and 35-39, 90 minutes)
A decisive break formed after 30 minutes with Mike Smith ( Cycleworks.co.uk), Robert Moore (Nuun-Sigma Sport) and Will Ranoe (H.R.Owen Maserati RT).

This trio worked well together and in spite of strenuous efforts from the bunch maintained a fairly consistent lead of around 30 seconds. On the last lap Ranoe got away from his companions to win alone; Smith and Moore didn’t chase him because they were in the A category while he was a ‘B’. This logic nearly proved disastrous since they were almost caught on the line.
Category A (30-34 years, 90 minutes)
1 Mike Smith (Cycleworks.co.uk)
2 Robert Moore (Nuun Sigma Sport)
3 Tom Hargreaves (Nuun Sigma Sport).

Category B (35-39 years 90 minutes)
1 Will Ranoe (H.R.Owen Maserati RT)
2 Justin Hoy (NFTO)
3 Matt Holmes (Arctic Tacx RT).

Category C (40-44 years, 90 minutes)
Jonathan Harris (PMR@Toachim House) animated this race almost from the start with a lone break, but as others joined him the field was split fairly quickly into two groups, a situation which continued until the bell lap.

The lead group contained, in addition to Harris, Martin Ford (Planet X), James Fox and Mike Jackson (CC Luton), Richard Haughton (THR Racing), Andrew Martin (Champion System), Paul Pickup (Pedal Heaven), Richard Unwin (VC Meudon), James Williams (Team Tor 2000) and Richard Wood (TMG Horizon CT).

They maintained a substantial lead until the start of the bell lap when an attack by Paul Pickup had the effect of putting Richard Haughton (probably the pre race favourite) at the head of affairs with half a lap to go. James Williams was on his wheel and taking full advantage of the shelter from the slight headwind on the finish climb.

Williams, who had travelled from Exeter, had been hoping for a sprint like this and, after taking the gold medal, said: ‘It was just a question of leaving it long enough before going round him’.
1. James Williams (Team Tor 2000 Kalas Sportswear)
2. Richard Haughton (THR Racing)
3. Martin Ford (Planet X- Northside Cycling).

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Category D (45-49 years, 90 minutes)
Jeremy Brougham (Adalta) tried to ride this from the front with an early lone break lasting several laps but, unfortunately for him, no one in the bunch had sufficient confidence to go for such a long break. Although there were attempts to break things up the race stayed together.

The eventual winner of the bunch sprint, Jay Eastwood (Primera-Team Jobs), is newly ‘promoted’ to this age group and was the winner of the C category last year. He said he felt he was not the strongest rider and so had to ride to his strengths, which meant waiting for a bunch sprint; a winning tactic once again.

1. Jay Eastwood (Primera Team Jobs)
2. Andrew Perkins (Mid Devon CC)
3. Simon Cannings (Equipe Velo)

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Richard Edwards stretches the breakaway group  (category E)

Category E (50-54 years, 75 minutes)
Wayne Thomas, the organiser of the championship, accurately described this race as the most ‘explosive’ of the day.

It was dominated by the winning break which developed at about the half way mark and consisted of Richard Edwards (CC Luton), Craig Wilson and John Alderman (VC Meudon), Paul Watson (BC Private Member), Kenny Gray (Kuota-Spinergy) and Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley Cycles). It’s worth mentioning that Watson is a former British Pro Road Champion and Tour de France rider.

For a while the bunch chased hard, with Scott Holmes (Hillingdon) notably working hard on the front, but the pace was evidently too high for them to organise effectively.

The breakaway, by contrast, worked efficiently until an unbridgeable gap had been created and then, in the last few laps Chamberlain got away on his own. After this the five remaining in the break seemed unwilling or unable to co-operate, leaving Edwards doing most of the work on the front.

Chamberlain proved quite capable of maintaining a solo effort to the finish and crossed the line 33 seconds clear of his pursuers and over a minute ahead of the remains of the peloton.

Roy Chamberlain is something of a local legend and has been riding on this circuit for two decades. His enthusiasm is still as great as ever – he was silver medallist in his category in this year’s Masters Road Race Championship, retains his first category licence and says he is looking forward to riding The Masters Tour of Majorca this October.

1. Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley Cycles)
2. Craig Wilson (VC Meudon)
3. Richard Edwards (CC Luton)

Categories F (55-59), G (60-64) and H+I (65 years upwards)
Pressure of time and a small entry in the most senior age group made it necessary to combine these events so that they were all on the road simultaneously, the two older groups starting together 30 seconds after the ‘F’ category, which had 75 minutes to ride while the older riders finished after one hour.

Clearly there was potential here for confusion, and this was increased when the ‘G’ group caught and passed their juniors in the ‘F’ group but the commissaries did a good job of maintaining clarity. Although the F riders did eventually repass their seniors, this was not before Andy Roberts (GS Vecchi*) from the G group had gone off on his own to time trial for many laps, winning his category by almost half a minute.

We’re all familiar with stories of British riders going to race in Belgium then upping their game back at home, but they are usually young. Roberts has taken to living in Belgium during the winter in order to ride cyclo cross, so it’s a similar plan, and apparently it still works later in life.

(*vecchio is Italian for old, so this club name seems to be ‘GS Old Blokes’)

After another fifteen minutes Rob O’Connor (Team Jewson) won a lively bunch sprint to take the F category gold medal. (n.b. photo)

Category F:
1. Rob O’Connor (Team Jewson-M.I.Racing-Polypipe)
2. Keir Apperley (CC Hackney)
3. Paul Caton (TMG Horizon CT)

Category G:
1. Andrew Roberts (GS Vecchi)
2. Robin Osborne (London Dynamo)
3. Stephen Jolley (Onimpex Bio Racer RT)

Category H:
1. Alan Forrester (Rhyl CC)
2. William Macmillan (Glasgow United CC)

Women’s Masters Championships

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Champ! Jayne Paine

Categories A-E.
Here we had masters’ circuit racing in its hardest to follow form, with five categories on the circuit simultaneously, the under forties riding for 75 minutes while the more senior ladies finished at the end of an hour.

In the two younger age groups three riders stood out: the gold and silver medallists in the A category Laura Cameron and Jennifer George from the Drops Team, and the winner of the B category, Chanel Mason (Army CRT).

Ms Mason did a lot of attacking and certainly looked powerful but, as is often the case now, the Drops girls were too well organised to let her get away. Laura Cameron is only just returning to her full strength after breaking a leg in a crash last August; this victory should be a welcome boost to her confidence.

In the forty plus race Michelle Lee (Team MK) was a worthy winner having worn down the opposition with repeated attacks. Surprisingly, this is her first season as a pure cyclist but she reports that she has already taken third place in the ladies Tour of Cambridgeshire (and first place in her age category), had her first outright road race win three weeks ago at Woodstock and that this was her third victory of the week.

What we’d all like to know is: how can such a rapid rise be possible? The answer is simple, just start off as an elite athlete in some other discipline; Michelle was a top class runner and qualified for the 2004 Olympic Marathon. In addition she just loves riding a bike: “I don’t do any structured training, I just ride as much as I can.”

Jayne Paine’s gold medal in the most senior group was also well deserved. In the closing stages she said that some of the younger riders were looking to her to chase down Michelle Lee, which, since she looked so strong did at least seem a possibility. But Jayne commented “There was no point in me chasing for their benefit since I knew I had already seen off the others in my age category.”

Category A: (30-34 years)
1. Laura Cameron (Drops CT)
2. Jennifer George (Drops CT)
3. Corrine Clark (Team WNT)

Category B: (35-39 years)
1. Chanel Mason (Army CRT)
2. Gemma Sargent (Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire)
3. Nicole Oh (Les Filles RT)

Category C : (40-44 years)
1. Michelle Lee (Team MK)
2. Susan Freeburn (PMR@Toachim House)
3. Sophie Curie (Les Filles RT)

Category D : (45-49 years)
1. Catherine Coley (Ludlow Brewery RT)
2. Lisa Rogers ( Team MK)
3. Tracy Corbett (Les Filles RT)

Category E : (50-59 years)
1. Jayne Paine (Willesden CC)
2. Clare Simon (Bonito Squadra Corse)
3. Annie Gowing (Mickey Cranks CC).

In the end, perhaps the most outstanding performance of the day was that of Wayne Thomas, the organiser, who was responsible for making the event happen.

Wayne said that although running a circuit race is easier than a road race (and he has only just recovered from putting on the Masters Road Championships at the end of May), the logistical difficulty caused by other users of the Bowl having functions just before and just after his event meant that he and most of his helpers had an extremely long day last Saturday.

Everyone involved in cycle sport should remember the importance of race organisers since they are becoming something of an endangered species.

FULL RESULTS

Women
1 Laura Cameron Drops Cycling Team
2 Jennifer George Drops Cycling Team
3 Corinne Clark Team WNT
4 Charlotte Colclough Team Jadan-Weldtite
5 Mathilde Pauls Sigma Sport.co.uk
6 Alicia Speake CC London
7 Lesley Courtney Welwyn Wheelers CC
8 Emily Le Beuvant Big Maggys

Women 2
1 Chanel Mason Army Cycling Race Team (ACRT)
2 Gemma Sargent Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
3 Nicole Oh Les Filles Racing Team
4 Melissa Brand Team Ford Ecoboost
5 Lydia Brookes Sigma Sport.co.uk
6 Lindsay Rawling Mickey Cranks CC
7 Jennifer Lake CC Luton
8 Victoria Strila PMR@Toachim House

Women 3
1 Michelle Lee Team Milton Keynes
2 Susan Freeburn PMR@Toachim House
3 Sophie Curle Les Filles Racing Team
4 Verity Appleyard Brotherton Cycles
5 Claire Fisk Welwyn Wheelers CC
6 Maryka Sennema Paceline RT
7 Karen Poole Sportstest RT
8 Michelle Forster GB Cycles.co.uk
9 Susan Brant Mickey Cranks CC

Women 4
1 Catherine Coley Ludlow Brewery Race Team
2 Lisa Rogers Team Milton Keynes
3 Tracy Corbett Les Filles Racing Team
4 Elaine Maitland Bonito Squadra Corse
5 Theresa Jackson CC Luton

Women 5
1 Jayne Paine Willesden Cycling Club
2 Clare Simon Bonito Squadra Corse
3 Annie Gowing Mickey Cranks CC … continued after advert

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Masters A
1 Mike Smith Cycleworks.co.uk
2 Robert Moore Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT
3 Tom Hargreaves Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT
4 Andrew Sheret OVB
5 Robert McCarthy Excel Pedal Heaven Academy
6 Lee Smith Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT
7 Michael Cripps Army Cycling Race Team (ACRT)
8 Adam Thompson Eden Veranda Racing
9 Stuart Travis Wellingborough Cycles Race Team
10 Joe Hickerton Eden Veranda Racing
11 Richard Taylor Harry Middleton Cycling Club

Masters B
1 Will Ranoe HR Owen Maserati RT MB2
2 Justin Hoy NFTO MBE
3 Matt Holmes Arctic Tacx RT MB2
4 Jamie Pine Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT MBE
5 Anthony Morris TMG Horizon Cycling Team MB1
6 Stephen Abbott THR Racing MB1
7 Adam Capes PMR@Toachim House MB1
8 Daniel Lewis Royal Air Force CA MB3
9 John Woyton Pro Cycle Hire UK Racing Team MB2
10 Philip Hinch Brotherton Cycles MB2
11 Richard Mardle NFTO MB2

Masters C
1 James Williams Team Tor 2000 Kalas Sportswear
2 Richard Haughton THR Racing
3 Martin Ford Planet X – Northside Cycling
4 Jonathan Harris PMR@Toachim House
5 Mike Jackson CC Luton
6 Andrew Martin Champion System VCUK Racing Team
7 Paul Pickup Excel Pedal Heaven Academy
8 James Fox CC Luton
9 Richard Wood TMG Horizon Cycling Team
10 Richard Unwin VC Meudon
11 Michael Cowland Wellingborough Cycles Race Team
12 Dean Corney VC Meudon
13 Daniel Webb Team Cystic Fibrosis
14 Paul Roberts Lea Valley CC
15 Sheridan Bridal Abellio – SFA Racing Team
16 Jason Kierman St Ives CC
17 Jo Skelton Look Mum No Hands!
18 Barny Willard PB Cycle Coaching Racing Team
19 Chris Burns TMG Horizon Cycling Team
20 Ken Prince VC Meudon
21 Paul Butler PB Cycle Coaching Racing Team
22 Gregory Smith Finsbury Park CC
23 Craig McLean Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT
24 Gavin Lancaster Ride 24/7
25 Mark Davies Team Cystic Fibrosis
26 Phil O’Connor Shutt Velo Rapide
27 Richard Hill Team Milton Keynes
28 Kerry Greenham Coventry Road Club
29 Jonathan Williams Amersham Road Cycling Club

Masters D
1 Jay Eastwood Primera-TeamJobs
2 Andrew Perkins Mid Devon CC
3 Simon Cannings Equipe Velo
4 Stephen Broomfield Addiscombe CC
5 Lee Desborough St Ives CC
6 Glenn McMenamin Equipe Velo
7 Jason Kettle Mid Devon CC
8 Gianluca Cappello VC Meudon
9 Aleck Hornshaw Team Milton Keynes
10 Julian Mills Club Corley Cycles
11 Mike Smith Velo Schils – Interbike RT
12 Andrew Lowe Team Milton Keynes
13 Simon Barnes London Dynamo
14 John Peters CC Luton
15 Martin Smith Dream Cycling Race Team
16 Jeremy Brougham Adalta Race Team
17 Steve De Sousa Big Maggys
18 Stephen Campbell Twickenham CC
19 Aaron McCaffrey North Bucks RC
20 Jason Miller Big Maggys
21 Ian Cooper Team Jewson-M.I.Racing-Polypipe
22 Gary Kristensen MBE Clay Cross Road Team
23 Michael Skipsey TMG Horizon Cycling Team
24 Terry Glynn Graham Weigh Racing
25 Craig Whittle DMW – BRIDGTOWN
26 Chris Bodell Full Gas Racing Team
27 John Carter Radeon-Bike Science RT
28 Mark Scoffin Team Cystic Fibrosis
29 Stephen Simpson PB Cycle Coaching Racing Team
30 Jason Edwards BC Private Member
31 Jason Ginn Southdowns Bikes – Casco
32 Rupert Beale Beeline Bicycles RT
33 Andy Blackman VC Meudon

Masters E
1 Roy Chamberlain Team Corley Cycles
2 Craig Wilson VC Meudon
3 Richard Edwards CC Luton
4 Paul Watson BC Private Member
5 Kenny Gray Kuota – Spinergy – GSG
6 John Alderman VC Meudon
7 Robin Parker East Grinstead CC
8 Giles Pidcock Chevin Cycles.com Trek
9 Scott Holmes Hillingdon Cycling Club
10 Paul James Crawley Wheelers
11 John Watson Hitchin Nomads CC
12 Paul Bird CC Luton
13 Gavin Francis London Dynamo
14 Frank Rawlins North Road CC
15 Darryl Rice Southdowns Bikes – Casco
16 Paul Hone Addiscombe CC
17 Steven Cottington Bath Cycling Club
18 Neil Wood Team Chronomaster
19 Edmond Irwin SD Racing Team
20 Johannes Roux Giant Cycling Club – Halo Films
21 Gary Sheppard Bath Cycling Club
22 Andy Clapham OVB
23 Alan Davies PSUK Cycle Race Team
24 Trevor Thomas Team Milton Keynes
25 Kieran Dineen VC Equipe – Flix
26 Mark Hughes G.S. Henley
27 Paul Walsingham Horsham Cycling

Category F +
1 Andrew Roberts GS Vecchi
2 Robin Osborne London Dynamo
3 Stephen Jolley Onimpex Bio Racer RT
4 Brian O’Kelly Bristol RC
5 Joseph Williams BC Private Member
6 Vincent Ellis VC Norwich
7 Ralph Keeler Cambridge CC
8 David Carter GS Vecchi
9 Steve Barnsley GS Vecchi
10 Tim Crumpton VC St Raphael

Category F Plus – 2
1 Rob O ‘Connor Team Jewson-M.I.Racing-Polypipe
2 Keir Apperley Cycling Club Hackney
3 Paul Caton TMG Horizon Cycling Team
4 Martin Hopkinson Fietsen Tempo
5 Paul Stewart Moda RT
6 Barry Bonnett BC Private Member
7 Ralph Carter London Dynamo
8 Graham Douce In Gear Quickvit Trainsharp RT
9 Ken Roesner Lichfield City CC
10 Ian Donohue Southern Planning Practice Ltd
11 Graham Balshaw Team Chronomaster
12 Peter Smith Team Jewson-M.I.Racing-Polypipe
13 Colin Smith BC Private Member
14 Victor Davis Rockingham Forest Whls
15 Richard Hutt Harp RC
16 Mike Anderson VC St Raphael
17 David Broadbent St Ives CC
18 Michael Fairest Bolsover & District Cycling Club

Category F Plus – 2
1 Alan Forrester Rhyl Cycling Club
2 William McMillan Glasgow United CC

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