Report: Alpha RC Corley Cycles: A Day at the Races

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Lewis Atkins winner of the main race at the Alpha RC Corley Cycles A Day at the Races at the MK Bowl on Saturday, 15 March

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Report: Alpha RC Corley Cycles: A Day at the Races

From Gordon Wiseman
Lewis Atkins (Pedal Heaven – Colbornes) denied the massed ranks of the locally based Team Corley Cycles in the feature event of a four race programme at Milton Keynes National Bowl organised by the Alpha RC on Saturday.

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Held in glorious spring sunshine, the weather certainly played its part in drawing over 250 riders to the mixed programme that included a Women’s race as well as feature E/1/2 challenge.

“It’s crazy” explained organiser Paul Freeman. “I’m having to tell riders who wanted to enter on the line for the 3rd/4th cat race that we’re over-subscribed! And we had nearly 80 riders for the opening 4th cat race as well as a huge field for the Women’s event”.

Freeman called for a minutes silence before the start of the E/1/2 race to pay respects to PC Rich Phillips-Schofield who died following an incident at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth on Tuesday night.

“Rich was not only a fellow serving officer but he was a friend and fellow bike rider. He was the reigning British Police road race and mtb champion and last year he also picked up a couple of titles at the World Police championships” Freeman said after the riders had started.

When the main race got underway there was no hesitation at the front as solo and groups of riders tried to break away before being pulled back only to see another group try their luck.

Not surprisingly Team Corley riders were involved in nearly every attack – there were nine of them in the race – and they certainly held the upper hand at the racing passed the hour mark and the countdown for the final five laps started.

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Into the closing laps Tom Neale, Will Goulbourne and Ed Palfreemen (all Team Corley Cycles) were joined by circuit expert Lewis Atkins (Pedal Heaven – Colbornes) as they made the decisive break but eventual winner Atkins acknowledged that it was the Corley boys who made all the difference.

“I looked behind and saw that we’d made a gap and with the Corleys pulling really really hard, they did such a good job, that was it really” Atkins explained before climbing to the top place on the winner’s rostrum.

Into the closing lap. Atkins and Team Corley’s Tom Neale broke the elastic joining the leading quartet. Acknowledging the danger Neale poised the delighted Atkins said “I know Tom’s really quick so with about 200 to go I kicked and Tom was there but I just managed to pull away at the end. It was really nice to get that one in early”.

Lewis Atkins – “The season has been OK so far. It’s early doors but it’s really nice to get a win. This is my fourth race of the season and I’ve had a couple of seconds and I had a 5th in my first road race last week which helped me ride myself in. But it’s just nice to get a win in early.

“There was a good field here today. There were about 9 Team Corleys so we knew they’d be trying to dominate it. I got into one of the early moves, there were about 12 of us and I was there with my team mate Dave Creeggan, everyone was working hard which was good. I hadn’t properly warmed up into the race so I was sat at the back riding my legs in. Another way of looking at it was I was sitting at the back because there were 5 Corleys and so we were letting them do all the work!

“About the time we were down to the last five laps a couple of the Corleys jumped, I followed them and another Corley came across to join us. I looked behind and saw that we’d made a gap and with the Corleys pulling really really hard, they did such a good job, that was it really.

“I did a couple of turns, two of the Corleys seemed to be struggling and with a lap to go the other Corley put in a big effort, I followed and we kept it going, I was encouraging them ‘come on, keep it quick’ because I didn’t know what sort of gap we’d got so we needed to keep it going, I just knew it was close.

“Tom Neale was just behind us, he’s really come on in the last year and I know he’s really quick. So with about 200 to go I kicked and Tom was there but I just managed to pull away at the end. It was really nice to get that one in early.

“The Big Team Goal this year is the Tour Series so this was a good work out for me today. We’ve got a good programme to take us to the Tour Series and it’s still a couple of months to go but we really want to show ourselves in that this year. And we’ve got a few guys who are really looking at having a good season and want to do well in that as well so, fingers crossed, we will”.

E/1/2 – I hour + 5 laps
1. Lewis Atkins (Pedal Heaven Colbornes)
2. Tom Neale (Team Corley Cycles)
3. Will Goulbourne (Team Corley Cycles)
4. Edward Palfreeman (Team Corley Cycles)
5. Will Fox (Starley Primal)
6. Michael Smith (Team Corley Cycles)
7. Liam Stones (Team Raleigh)
8. Ben Chapman (Team Corley Cycles)
9. Mike Jackson (CC Luton)
10. Michael Mottram (KTM Road & Trial)

3rd/4th Cat. – 1 hour + 5 laps
1. James Sale (PCH UK Racing Team)
2. George Clark (High Wycombe CC)
3. Tom Bicknell (PCH UK Racing Team)
4. Stu Travis (45 Road Club)
5. Sean Dines (CC Luton)
6. Charles Pearson (Cambridge CC)

Women (all categories) – 45 mins + 5 laps
1. Sian Botteley (Squadra Donne)
2. Keira McVitty (WyndyMilla)
3. Mathilde Pauls (Fusion RT)
4. Laura Greenhalgh (Twickenham CC)
5. Lauren Humphreys (Rugby Velo)
6. Bonnie V.Wilyenbig (Zappis)

4th Cat – 45 mins + 5 laps
1. Matthew Webster (VeloVelocity – Rigsby Solicitors)
2. Cameron Jeffers (Bill Nickson Cycles RT)
3. Stefan Pracht (Twenty3c)
4. Freddie Pett (Kings Lynn CC)
5. Aleck Hornshaw (Team MK)
6. Andrew Digby (Verulam CC)

 

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