Result: The Wales open Criterium

Matt Bostock of Canyon DHB made it two from two winning the Wales Open Criterium in Abergavenny on Friday night

Result: The Wales Open Criterium

Matt Bostock (Canyon DHB) made it two wins from two in the Elite Circuit Series as he sprinted to victory at the Wales Open Criterium in Abergavenny. Having edged to the narrowest of sprint victories in the series-opening Otley Grand Prix on Wednesday, Bostock ensured a much smoother triumph 48 hours later.

On a tight, short course in Wales, Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes and Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK never allowed a single rider or small breakaway to get off the front and instead steered the race towards a sprint finish for their respective sprinters.

That tactic paid dividends as their man Bostock surged clear in the closing stages to cross the line comfortably ahead of local boy Jon Mould (Madison Genesis) – who lives 20 minutes down the road from Abergavenny – in second, with Chris Latham coming third.

“The racing was a bit dead to be honest – it was fast and quite short so it was hard to make the difference,” admitted Bostock at the end of a race with just 17 finishers. “It wasn’t negative racing but it became a bit status quo. You get that yo-yo effect, especially on a short circuit, so if you’re at the back you’re having a hard time. The crowd were quality. I was a bit jealous of them to be honest – standing out in the sun, having a drink! It looked good. I was a bit nervous before the race – having won the last one, I thought I might be a bit marked. The course is short and I felt a bit of pressure after Wednesday.”

“I’m pretty confident now, hopefully I can hold on to the overall lead and bring that home for Canyon.”

A much smaller field than at Otley earlier this week – just 38 riders – took to the start line in Abergavenny but the race was no less hard-fought early on despite the reduced numbers. A high tempo from the off ensured gaps appeared early and riders were being gappat at the back never to return. The tight Welsh course and the sun being low in the sky also led to crashes, with Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes rider Charlie Tanfield going down hard with riders behind out of the race due to being gapped and the speed at the front.

Mould (Madison Genesis) made one of the first serious breaks but was hauled back in by an initial three riders, including Bostock, before the peleton brought all four back into the fold. A high pace set by Ali Slater of Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK meant that chances of getting off the front were limited. Tom Moses (Madison Genesis) made a valiant break with a little over five laps to go, as did his team-mate Mould shortly after but both were hauled back in by an organised main group led by Slater.

The riders then jostled for position ahead of the finish and Bostock began his sprint after a surge at the front by George Wood with a little over a lap to go proving for the second time in a week that he has the strongest legs as he blew away the field to sprint clear to the line. Mould finished second, four or five bike lengths behind, with Latham (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK) rounding out the podium ahead of George Wood and young Welshman Josh Price.

His second victory in as many races mean Bostock extends his overall men’s Elite Circuit Series lead to ten points with just four rounds remaining. Latham is now second. The next race is in Newcastle on July 10, before the series heads to Colne (July 16), Barnsley (July 19) and finishes in Sheffield on July 24.

1 Matthew Bostock Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 01:04:58
2 Jonathan Mould Madison Genesis st
3 Christopher Latham Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK st
4 George Wood SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling st
5 Joshua Price Wales Racing Academy st
6 Stephen Bradbury SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling at 00:05
7 Callum Macleod Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes st
8 Maximilian Stedman Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes st
9 Thomas Moses Madison Genesis st
10 William Roberts Wales Racing Academy at 00:08
11 George Pym Madison Genesis st
12 Louis Rose-Davies Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes st
13 William Brown Ribble Pro Cycling st
14 William Bjergfelt SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling st
15 Aled Jones VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse at 00:10
16 Joseph Beckingsale Wales Racing Academy at 00:12
17 Alistair Slater Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK at 00:36

… continued after advert

Series Overall: After round 2 (Wales Open Criterium)
1 Matthew Bostock Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 60
2 Christopher Latham Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK 50
3 George Wood SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 38
4 Thomas Pidcock Team Wiggins Le Col 28
5 Jonathan Mould Madison Genesis 28
6 Stephen Bradbury SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 27
7 Callum Macleod Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 27
8 Reece Wood Zappi Racing Team 26
9 Matthew Gibson Burgos-BH 22
10 Joshua Price Wales Racing Academy 22
11 Joseph Nally Team Inspired 20
12 Ben Turner Corendon-Circus 18
13 Jim Brown Team Inspired 16
14 Maximilian Stedman Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 16
15 Thomas Moses Madison Genesis 14
16 Oliver Wood Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 12
17 William Roberts Wales Racing Academy 12
18 Scott Auld Ribble Pro Cycling 10
19 George Pym Madison Genesis 10
20 Louis Rose-Davies Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes 9
21 Steve Lampier Saint Piran 8
22 William Brown Ribble Pro Cycling 8
23 William Bjergfelt SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 7
24 Chris Sherriffs Ribble Pro Cycling 6
25 Aled Jones VCEquipe/FlixOralHygiene/Propulse 6
26 Julian Varley SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 5
27 Joseph Beckingsale Wales Racing Academy 5
28 Ross Lamb SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 4
29 Alistair Slater Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK 4
30 Jacob Scott SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling 3
31 Kieran Savage Cycling Sheffield Giant Sheffield 2
32 Jacob Tipper Ribble Pro Cycling 1