Report: Monmouthshire Junior Grand Prix

Tom Couzens was in a bit of a hurry to win the Monmouthshire Junior Grand Prix, going solo and winning by over a minute and half – Junior national road series

Report: Monmouthshire Junior Grand Prix

by Gary Baker

Tom Couzens was in a bit of a hurry to win the Cwmtillery Glass Centre Monmouthshire Junior Grand Prix, so much so that the 17-year-old won by over a minute-and-a-half from the rest of the field over a tough course on Sunday. Couzens, of the Zappi Racing Team, blew the field apart on the second of three 20.36 kilometre circuits around the village of Grosmont as he roared away from a breakaway and stayed out in front until the finish line of the 117km Grand Prix.

His dominance was such that Couzens finished one minute 37 seconds ahead of second-placed Oscar Onley, of the Spokes Racing Team, and Thomas Gloag, from the VC Londres team. In winning the race, Couzens boosted himself up the order of the Junior Road Series standings with just two races to come before it ends at the end of next month. A beaming Couzens, from Bicester near Oxford, said: “We came onto the finish circuits with three laps to go and there were still quite a lot of people there in the bunch”.

“A few attacks went and nobody was really chasing. So with two laps to go at the top of the climb, I went off the front and three of us went across. So even in the break, nobody was working so after about five kilometres, I pushed on to see what happened and I just kept pushing on.”

Couzens was 29th in the overall Series classification before Sunday’s race and will climb up the rankings although will not come close to leader Leo Hayter who was not among the starters on Sunday, having not done many of the rounds. It was a rare victory for him too. Couzens added: “I haven’t really got many wins so I will take this one. It is my first national podium for a road race.”

Two of the Wales team juniors finished well, with seventh-placed Iwan Evans and Sam Beckett, in ninth, sandwiching Lewis Askey, who won the Junior Paris-Roubaix classic road race in 2018 and rides for the team founded by Pontyclun Tour de France stage winner Magnus Backstedt.

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Result
1 Tom Couzens J2 Zappi Racing Team 3:08:49 3:08:49
2 Oscar Onley FJ2 Spokes Racing Team 3:10:26 3:10:26 1:37
3 Thomas Gloag J2 VC Londres 3:11:12 3:11:12 2:23
4 Oliver Rees J1 HMT Hospitals Giant Cycling Team 3:11:20 3:11:20 2:31
5 Adam Scarffe J2 Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team 3:11:34 3:11:34 2:45
6 Joseph Bennett J2 Flamme Rouge Cycling Team 3:11:44 3:11:44 2:55
7 Iwan Evans FJ2 Wales 3:11:47 3:11:47 2:58
8 Lewis Askey J1 Team Backstedt Cycling 3:11:47 3:11:47
9 Samuel Beckett J2 Wales 3:11:47 3:11:47
10 Will Corkill FJ2 Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team 3:11:50 3:11:50 3:01
11 Sam Freeman FJ2 Hargroves-Montezuma’s 3:11:50 3:11:50
12 Jack Rootkin-Gray FJ2 Solihull CC 3:11:50 3:11:50
13 James Wordsworth FJ2 Fensham Howes – MAS Design 3:11:50 3:11:50
14 Sam Southall J2 Twickenham CC 3:11:50 3:11:50
15 Owain Roberts J2 Wales 3:11:53 3:11:53 3:04
16 Joe Wilson J2 Team Ribble 3:11:53 3:11:53
17 Max Bolton FJ2 Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 3:11:55 3:11:55 3:06
18 Isaac Peatfield J2 Green Jersey RT 3:11:55 3:11:55
19 James Harrison FJ2 Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team 3:11:55 3:11:55
20 Corrin Leeming FJ3 Equiom IOM Junior Cycling Team 3:11:55 3:11:55
21 Charles Paige J2 Green Jersey RT 3:11:58 3:11:58 3:09
22 George Mills-Keeling J1 Cycle Club Bridgnorth RWG 3:11:58 3:11:58
23 Harvey Guningham J2 4T+ Cyclopark 3:12:00 3:12:00 3:11
24 George Wood FJ2 Team JRC 3:12:00 3:12:00
25 Thomas Day FJ2 Giant Cycling Club – Halo Films 3:12:00 3:12:00
26 Samuel Asker J2 Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 3:12:00 3:12:00
27 Francis Woodcock FJ2 Bury Clarion Cycling Club 3:12:03 3:12:03 3:14
28 Logan Maclean J2 Spokes Racing Team 3:12:03 3:12:03
29 Adam Mitchell FJ2 Spokes Racing Team 3:12:05 3:12:05 3:16
30 George Greensmith FJ2 Propello 3:12:05 3:12:05
31 Matthew Houlberg FJ2 Portsmouth North End CC 3:12:05 3:12:05
32 Jamieson Blain J1 Zappi Racing Team 3:12:05 3:12:05
33 Aaron Freeman FJ2 Chelmer CC 3:12:11 3:12:11 3:22
34 Joe Baker J2 ZeroBC 3:12:13 3:12:13 3:24
35 William Truelove FJ2 Wales 3:12:15 3:12:15 3:26
36 William Harding FJ3 Marsh Tracks Racing – Trek 3:12:17 3:12:17 3:28
37 Jacques Coates J2 Cycle Team OnForm 3:12:19 3:12:19 3:30
38 Alexander Dent J2 Spokes Racing Team 3:12:23 3:12:23 3:34
39 Thomas Wright FJ2 Cycle Team OnForm 3:12:26 3:12:26 3:37
40 Simon Wyllie FJ2 Halesowen A & CC 3:14:40 3:14:40 5:51
41 Liam James-Morris FJ2 Backstedt Cycling 3:15:19 3:15:19 6:30
42 Ethan Browne FJ3 The Bulls 3:15:21 3:15:21 6:32
43 Barney Clacy J2 Hargroves-Montezuma’s 3:15:36 3:15:36 6:47
44 Samuel Painter J2 ZeroBC 3:16:02 3:16:02 7:13
45 Irfan Zaman J2 Panagua CC 3:16:28 3:16:28 7:39
46 David Hird FJ2 Halesowen A & CC 3:19:13 3:19:13 10:24
47 Fergus Jones J3 ZeroBC 3:21:08 3:21:08 12:19
48 Thomas Arkell J2 East London Velo 3:22:39 3:22:39 13:50
49 Ewan Mackie FJ2 Ilkeston Cycle Club 3:25:26 3:25:26 16:37
50 Josh Field FJ2 Halesowen A & CC 3:25:26 3:25:26
51 Alexander Ball FJ2 Edinburgh RC 3:27:14 3:27:14 18:25
52 Alexi Edwards J2 Flamme Rouge Cycling Team 3:27:14 3:27:14
53 Kyle Thomas FJ3 Edinburgh Road Club 3:27:21 3:27:21 18:32
54 Farley Barber J2 Pro Vision Race Team 3:27:25 3:27:25 18:36
55 William Foster J2 Cyclesense 2:44:27 1 3:41:40 32:51
56 Will Beech J2 The MI Racing Academy 2:44:27 1 3:41:40
57 Samuel Clark J2 Hargroves-Montezuma’s 2:44:51 1 3:42:11 33:22
58 Riley Searle J2 Flamme Rouge Cycling Team 2:45:33 1 3:43:05 34:16
59 Alex Dobrowolski FJ3 Team Chronomaster 2:49:37 1 3:48:22 39:33
60 Matthew Finegan FJ2 Team SB Hub 2:49:37 1 3:48:22
61 Billy Norton FJ3 Ely Race Club 2:49:37 1 3:48:22
64 Thomas Harrington J2 Abergavenny Road Club 2:50:48 1 3:49:54 41:05
65 Scott Howieson J2 Spokes Racing Team 2:50:52 1 3:49:59 41:10
66 Euan Taylor FJ3 Giant Cycling Club – Halo Films 2:54:31 1 3:54:43 45:54
67 Archie Peet FJ3 Welwyn Wheelers CC 2:09:54 2 4:04:14 55:25
68 Henry Lloydlangston J2 Halesowen A & CC 2:11:00 2 4:06:09 57:20
69 Ed Grandidge J2 Mega Bike Race Team 2:14:21 2 4:12:01 1:03:12
70 Jonathan Cull FJ3 Halesowen A & CC 2:14:21 2 4:12:01
71 Milo Chapman J2 Team Corley Cycles 2:19:13 2 4:20:33 1:11:44
72 Theo Bugg FJ3 Jam Cycling RT coached by BPC 2:22:12 2 4:25:47 1:16:58
73 Aaron Stone J3 Cycle Team OnForm 2:24:34 2 4:29:55 1:21:6
74 Louis Evans J3 Innovation Racing 1:37:16 3 4:31:27 1:22:38
75 Christopher Hordon J2 Spokes Racing Team 1:37:17 3 4:31:30 1:22:41
76 Harrison Mayo J2 Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 1:37:20 3 4:31:37 1:22:48
77 Alexander Herd J2 Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club 1:37:23 3 4:31:45 1:22:56
78 Luke Protheroe J2 Abergavenny Road Club 1:37:23 3 4:31:45
79 Olly Wilkins J3 VeloVitesse 1:37:29 3 4:32:00 1:23:11
80 Cian Roberts FJ2 The Bulls 1:44:40 3 4:50:12 1:41:23