no sooner had we caught our breath from Round 1, we were back at the hallowed tarmac of Darley Moor for Round 2. Now somebody must have forgot to switch the heating on as there was noticeable drop in temperature, but that didn’t seem to dampen spirits and the racing soon was fast and furious from the off.
First to start was the Open 4s with attacks going on the first lap. Nothing from the first few attempts seemed to stick until about a third of the race in when Alex Moss and James McCullagh (of Solihull CC) finally snapped the elastic and worked well together to never see the chasing pack again. They battled it out for 1st and 2nd respectively, with new series leader Chris Tinsley completing the podium from the bunch sprint.
Not to be outdone, the Womens 234 race set off 30 seconds behind the men at an equally blistering pace. Emily Martin from Team Botrill, in what has been the most impressive ride so far this year, attacked solo from the first lap, and stayed away to take the spoils on what was also her Birthday. What made this even more impressive, was that she nearly caught the mens peloton which was about 30 riders strong.
There were numerous attempts from the chasing pack to bridge across to Emily but in the end nobody succeeded and they pack settled for a final lap sprint to make up the top 10. Isabel Rodriguez (Royal Lemington Spa CC) was fastest with Jadan Vive le Velo Glasdon’s Abbie Taylor in 3rd, pipping 2nd in the overall series, Zoe Taylor to 4th,
Next up was the turn of our open 34 field with just under 70 riders making the start line. This was another stong field with a good mix of local hitters and a few elite women which was great to see. From report inside the bunch the race was very stop/start, with nobody able to get away and the increased headwind caused a few jostles for positions,
This led to the first bunch sprint of the year, with Rueben Trotter proving he has the biggest watt bomb, closely followed by new team Trainsharp Roman’s Xavier Teece-Round and proving that you never really lose it, Stephen Bradbury of Stolen Goat fame returns from the wilderness to claim 3rd.
To close out the day, the racing snakes of the E123 started very casually for the first couple of laps before normal service resumed. The pack was quickly strung out, testing to see who had the best winter camp. About half way through the race, echelons started to form with a lead group of 6 making the decisive move. They worked well together to keep the pack at bay and contested the podium places between them, with Das Richardsons Michael Gill claiming top spot from Matthew King (Atom 6 – Decca Continental Team) and in form Joshua Horsfield (Relfex Nopins).
All in all, another great day and the VB Crit League early positions have started to form, You can see the full R2 results below, or click here to see the full league standings.
Last but never least, we’re racing back at Darley for the 3rd week in a row to finish off the March events this weekend (Enter Here) to claim more VB points and be in with a chance to win that Pinarello.
Till next time..
Haus Race Team
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And here’s the YouTubes from Craig Goes Cycling, Triathlon Dan, Ramsay Tram Tyler Hannay and Ben Goodwin Rides. Do shout if I ever miss anyone.
