Preview: Victor Berlemont Trophy RR

Chris Lovibond previews the Victor Berlemont Trophy Road Race on the Woodcote course in Oxfordshire this Sunday

Preview: Victor Berlemont Trophy RR

This Sunday will see the fifth edition of the Victor Berlemont Trophy Road Race on the Woodcote course in Oxfordshire. At 108 miles it is almost the longest National B race in the calendar – but it’s not just the distance which makes it special since the course includes nine ascents of Flint Hill (out of Goring) which has a 10% gradient. This is an event comparable with some of the toughest continental races.

Isaac Munday winning the event last year

This year’s event has faced competition from the Ryedale Grand Prix in Yorkshire, which at 93 miles comes close in distance, but the Victor Berlemont has attracted an excellent full field which includes sixteen elite category riders. These include Marcin Bialoblocki (42) whose ride will interest those who have, perhaps wrongly, come to think of him as a time triallist.

One effect of the rival event has been to allow some talented younger riders into the field. Two examples are Ed Bishop (49), a first year espoir who won last year’s Bath Road Club Junior Road Race and David Kovacs (40), a Hungarian who, although only twenty one, has represented his country at world championship level and raced in many East European countries before arriving in the UK. Obviously a talented rider, he has had some difficulty into races here as organisers normally only look at UK results; a little discretion was exercised in this case. Although not so youthful, another relative newcomer in Richard Gildea (68), who only started cycling in 2015 but took the Bronze Medal in this year’s Twelve Hour Time Trial Championship with 300.9 miles. He is now turning his attention more to road racing with two local victories recently. There are also some evergreens like Chris McNamara (9) and Martin Ford (44) whose long experience could prove decisive in a race of this length. Finally, watch for Benjamin Marks (1), ninth in 2016, third in 2017, so for 2018?

Five years ago the event organiser Patrick Kavanagh set out to revive this historic event and create a new monument; who could say he is not succeeding?

Course Map:

Start Time: 11 am.
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Startsheet: Victor Berlemont Trophy

1 Benjamin Marks Morvelo Basso RT
2 Michael Mottram Morvelo Basso RT
3 Stephen Bradbury Morvelo Basso RT
4 Adam Moore Morvelo Basso RT
5 Ryan Smith Morvelo Basso RT
6 Barnabas Purbrook Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
7 Tom Hargreaves Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
8 Henry Latimer Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
9 Chris McNamara Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
10 Robert Moore Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
11 James Moss Nuun-Sigma Sports-London
12 Rupert Graham Spirit Tifosi Racing Team
13 Jordan Peacock Spirit Tifosi Racing Team
14 Jack Waller Spirit Tifosi Racing Team
15 Timothy Allen Spirit Tifosi Racing Team
16 Frazier Carr Spirit Tifosi Racing Team
17 Matthew Exley Flamme Rouge Cycling Team
18 William Scott Flamme Rouge Cycling Team
19 Jack Steel-Jessop Flamme Rouge Cycling Team
20 Elliot Haigh Flamme Rouge Cycling Team
21 Joe Hill Team KTM UK
22 David Kovacs Team KTM UK
23 Andrew Turner Team KTM UK
24 Toby Atkins ActiveEdge Race Team
25 Felix Barker ActiveEdge Race Team
26 Nicholas Cooper ActiveEdge Race Team
27 Laurence Kirby ActiveEdge Race Team
28 Samuel Woodfield ActiveEdge Race Team
29 Joseph Donohue VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse
30 Ethan Lee VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse
31 Sebastian Lewis VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse
32 Adam Toole VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse
33 Mathew Adler ZeroBC
34 Patrick Biel ZeroBC
35 Michael Devaney ZeroBC
36 Paul Elcock ZeroBC
37 Gregory Fitzek ZeroBC
38 Joshua Jones ZeroBC
39 Andrew Kirby VC St Raphael
40 Liam Walsh VC St Raphael
41 Benjamin Irving TAAP Cervelo
42 Ryan Visser TAAP Cervelo
43 Marcin Bialoblocki Steele Davis Via Roma RT
44 William Bjergfelt Team Tor 2000 KALAS
45 Martin Ford Java Partizan Pro Cycling Team
46 Thomas Power Richardsons-Trek RT
47 George Smith Tri UK
48 Hayden Allen THRE Datawolves RT
49 Morris Bacon DAP Cycling Club
50 Edmund Bishop Meudon Sovereign Pedal Heaven RT
51 James Boyman Hoops Velo
52 Sam Christy London Dynamo
53 Damien Clayton BC Member Not Attached
54 Oliver Cliff TBW23 Stuart Hall Gett Taxi
55 Andrew Critchlow HJL
56 Joshua Curtis Pedalworks Performance Team
57 Tom Elwood Cycle Team OnForm
58 Tom Fitzpatrick BC Member Not Attached
59 Michael Ford Latchem Sunwise Race Team
60 Oliver Hayward Rhino Velo Race Team
61 Matt Langworthy Saint Piran
62 Oliver Richardson Twickenham CC
63 Josh Rock Bloodwise QSW
64 Chris Sleath MTS-Rapid Engineering NE
65 Red Walters Sotonia CC
66 James Bonham Southdowns Bikes – Casco PET
67 Evan Clements Abingdon Race Team
68 Alexander Cross VC Meudon
69 Richard Gildea Didcot Phoenix CC
70 Glyndwr Griffiths 73Degrees CC
71 Sion Harlow VELOFLOW CC
72 Ross Holland Cheltenham & County CC
73 Oliver Hucks High Wycombe Cycling Club
74 Tom Mansfield 365velo Racing club
75 John Mulvey Cambridge University CC
76 David Reece TBW23 Stuart Hall Gett Taxi
77 Ashley Towey Team Tor 2000 KALAS
78 Lewis Winfield VC Londres
79 Oliver Winwood Bratchell Velo Club Venta
80 Jack Wyllie Norwood Paragon CC