Report: Cronshaw wins around Penny Pot Lane

Catching a break with 200 metres to go, Node 4’s Matt Cronshaw won the Crosstrax race in Yorkshire ahead of Raleigh’s Graham Briggs and Liam Holohan.

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Report
In sunny conditions and with little wind on the testing circuit, the race had a taste of Premier Calendar status about it with Raleigh and Node 4 having quality line-ups and Endura Racing have Ian Wilkinson and Rob Partridge looking to upset the applecart of the teams with numbers in the race. There were plenty of other riders as well like those from Hope Factory also ready to get stuck in and it was type of circuit where damage could be done on the climbs.

Attacks from the start were a feature of the race …

Nothing was sticking early on and each time up the climb at the finish, Dave Clarke (Node 4) was trying to smash the rest with his typical big efforts but the elastic wouldn’t break until finally two got away. Peter Williams (Node 4) and Matt Holmes (Raleigh GAC) dominated the race for a good lap or two before they were brought back and with a lap to go, another group got clear went with Rob Partridge (Endura Racing), Jamie Sparling (Raleigh-GAC) and Peter Williams again.

Raleigh GAC didn’t like it and brought it back and after a series of digs, a small group got clear along Penny Pot Lane. They though didn’t commit to keeping it clear though and all the attacks simply helped the chasers behind who caught them with two hundred metres to go and Matt Cronshaw and Graham Briggs battled out the win with the Node 4 rider clear of the inform Briggs to win the event.

Afterwards, VeloUK caught up with Matt Cronshaw of Node 4 who admitted that it was really nice to get the hands in the air. “There wasn’t a lot of wind out there and plenty of attacks today. Us and Raleigh were marking each other which kept the speed high with one or two us in the moves.”

The break that stayed away the longest was this one with Matt Holmes (Raleigh GAC) and Pete Williams (Node 4)

“I think I am coming into a bit of good form at the moment but it was still hard. Sometimes these national B’s are harder because you have to follow more moves to make sure you’re in it.”

“We just got back from France last week, Brittany where the first stage was 210 k and had 3,000 metres of climbing, like this but less flat! After the Stafford crit, I had a week off and I’ve been training hard. It’s taken ‘til now to start feeling better.”

“Sprints like that with small groups, I like. It’s easier to pick your way through and we only just caught them with 200 to go. A break got away and Evan Oliphant (Raleigh GAC) and Steve Lampier (IG Sigma Sport) smashed it round the back to get across and we only caught them at the finish.”

Rob Partridge (Endura Racing) drives clear three riders on the big climb.

Ian Wilkinson (Endura Racing): Asked how the move with Rob Partridge, a local to the area now, got brought back, Ian explained “Raleigh weren’t happy with the move with Rob and wanted to pull it back so it come back together and then up the other side, Clarkey had a go. On Penny Pot Lane, I had a chat with Rob and he was feeling all right and better suited to the finish so I said I’d try and keep it together for him”.

“As it happened, I went with a couple of things and the next thing, we got a gap and finally broke the string. Liam Holohan and Bernie Sulzberger (both Raleigh GAC), Peter Williams (Node 4) and two other guys. I think one of them had hairy legs, brilliant! He beat at the end too!”

“It was very bitty in the group and the two Raleigh were trying to get away and Peter had a few good digs too and fair play to them. We were looking round and had a fair gap at the bottom and then all of a sudden, Briggsy and Matt Cronshaw come past at 300 mph.”

Ian Wilkinson (Endura Racing) of the hairy legs police, holds the wheels on the climb before getting into a handy break at the end and finished 9th.

“I am feeling a lot better now. I did the race last week which was nice and it was a tough race but this was like a Premier Calendar and good. So many riders have come here and ridden it. It’s stuck two fingers up at BC because they can’t be assed to organise another Premier Calendar or may be they can and aren’t bothered.”

“With a race like this on, why can’t they give Crosstrax a pat on the back and tell them we’ll help you make it a bit better and it would be a really good race. It’s a good circuit and I have won twice here, the Ellis Briggs GP. They stopped running it – I dont think they wanted me to win a third time! It’s a tough deceiving circuit but we were up against it with the numbers today. I’ll ride back home with Paul (Oldham) now for another hour and half.”

Steve Lampier (IG Sigma Sport) was giving it large on the climb early on and helped bring the final break back. He was 10th.

Matt Cronshaw celebrates long and loud on top of a big hill in Yorkshire ahead of Graham Briggs and a clearly gassed Liam Holohan.

Dave Clarke, typical race face on, full gas on the climb and plenty more race faces behind as they do their best to hold his wheel.

Russell Hampton (Raleigh GAC) has a dig to get across to a break up the road with Robin Sharman (Sportscover) going great despite not a lot of racing recently. Robin tells me his wife is due to make him a father in November. Congrats to them both!

Winner of the 3/4 race in a bunch gallop  Stephen Henson, Rock Racing

RESULTS

E/1/2/3
1. Matt Cronshaw, Node4 Giordana
2. Graham Briggs, Team Raleigh-GAC
3. Liam Holohan, Team Raleigh-GAC
4. Peter Williams, Node4 Giordana
5. David Shackleton, Wilsons Wheels
6. Bernie Sulzberger, Team Raleigh-GAC
7. Ben Ives, We Love Mountains
8. Evan Oliphant, Team Raleigh-GAC
9. Ian Wilkinson, Endura Racing
10. Steve Lampier, Team IG-Sigma Sport

11. Tom Barras Metaltek – Scott
12. Robert Partridge Endura Racing
13. Matthew Holmes Team Raleigh – GAC
14. David Clarke Node4 – Giordana Racing
15. Jacob Scott Planet X
16. Mike Northey NODE4 Giordana Racing
17. Matthew Pilkington Team Bglobal
18. Adam Duggleby Sportscover Altura RT
19. Nicholas Barnes zepnat RT/Kuota/GSG
20 .Kit Gilham Herbalife-Leisure Lakes

3/4
1. Stephen Henson, Rock Racing
2. Sandy Lockett, Biketreks RT
3. Robert Shields, Gosforth RC
4. Sean Newbold, Featherstone RC
5. Paul McDonald, Slipstream RT
6. Benjamin Pygott, Bradford Olympic RC
7. Jacob Trotter, Squadra RT
8. Mike Salkeld, Crosstrax
9. Stephen Coates, We Love Mountains
10. Paul Drop, Wilsons wheels

 

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