Report: Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT 2023

Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT riders James Brett, Oli Nolan and James Veal were busy racing on the mainland again this weekend.

Report: Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT 2023

Race Report – w/e 10/09/2023

Wightlink-Wight Mountain CRT riders James Brett, Oli Nolan and James Veal were busy racing on the mainland again this weekend.

On Saturday, James Veal competed in the Portmore Classic Road Race in Dorset, a 57-mile course around the Monkey World circuit consisting of a rolling section, fast downhill and a long false flat finish session. It was a fast-paced race with multiple attacks early on which James either covered or started. Then a couple of riders managed to slip off the front and a gap quickly formed. With little or no help from the larger teams, James made several attempts to jump across to the lead group but other riders were not keen to let this happen. He eventually managed to get into the top 10 with a long-range sprint.

After the race James said: ‘I’m very happy with that result – it’s a fitting end to the year but I think my body is now in need of a few weeks’ rest after a long race season!’
On Sunday, James Brett and Oli Nolan travelled to the New Forest for the second round of the Wessex Cyclocross series, hosted by Fareham Wheelers CC. The conditions on the day were changeable, with multiple heavy rain showers resulting in a slippery, grassy surface. James was first to race, finishing in an excellent placing of 29th out of 75 starters in the competitive Vet 40-49 category, improving upon his first round performance. Oli, aiming for a top 10 after last week’s 12th, struggled with the relentless nature of the course, crossing the line in 19th amongst a stacked field.

Oli writes: ‘Overall it was a fantastic day of racing and I’m really looking forward to the next round. Thanks go out to our team sponsors, particularly Wightlink and Wight Mountain, for their continued support with travel to the mainland and bike maintenance’.