Introduction
Well, it had to happen eventually.
After six consecutive rounds of glorious sunshine, AI Bas finally got one wrong. Not just slightly wrong either. While our virtual weather expert confidently predicted another dry evening, the heavens opened, the track turned into a paddling pool, and riders arrived wondering if they’d accidentally entered a Tough Mudder race.
When challenged on his forecasting performance, AI Bas blamed “an intermittent WiFi issue” and insisted his weather app had shown sunshine right up until the moment the first drops landed. Our investigations continue.
As if the weather wasn’t enough of a talking point, this was also the final round of the WEBUYCYCLE league. Six riders in the top ten GC standings arrived with a mathematical chance of taking the overall title. Abbie Taylor had strong designs on securing the overall sprint competition. Mark Crompton turned up to watch his closest rivals race in the 3/4 and E123 as his 12 point overall lead was no guarantee with 100 points on offer. Meanwhile, Craig Lamont, a regular supporter of the series and a true ambassador for racing in the East Midlands, arrived looking to cement his place in the overall top ten. With more than 500 riders having entered the league over the course of the season, a top ten finish would represent an outstanding achievement and one well worth celebrating.
The organisers were also disappointed to learn that our regular bell and flag man, Harry Crompton, would not be attending. A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the circuit as officials contemplated a day free from random questions, commentary, observations, suggestions, more questions, and whatever random thought had entered the head of the most relentlessly enthusiastic young race official in Derbyshire.
Sadly, our celebrations proved premature, he turned up!
Despite the conditions, the racing was as competitive as ever, and full credit goes to everyone who braved a thoroughly damp day at Darley Moor.
WOMENS 234
A healthy field lined up for the women’s race, although in conditions like these the hardest battle is often convincing yourself to remove the waterproof jacket before the start. The wet track encouraged a sensible approach from most of the field, with riders choosing caution over heroics through the corners. With Dan from Derby Arena Velodrome attending to support the event, discussion soon turned to the possibility of introducing some track-inspired races next season. What we hadn’t realised was that the slick conditions had already produced for a brief moment, a race more like a Match Sprint!
That said, the first prime soon got everyone moving and a number of attacks followed. Zoe Palmer of Marlborough CC rode an excellent race to take the win. Emily Martin of Team Bottrill Nopinz followed home in second, while Charlotte Day rounded out the podium.
The sprint competition saw Rosie Coe monopolise the first two primes before Abbie Taylor grabbed the third. While Rosie may have gone home with the prime prizes, Abbie once again continued her determined mission to collect sprint points wherever they can be found.
Open 4th Category
The 4ths were next onto the increasingly shiny-looking tarmac.
Wet conditions normally lead to a more cautious race, but nobody appeared to have passed that information on to the riders. The pace remained high throughout and, several attacks split the bunch into 3 clear groups all working hard together.
After working hard together for most of the race, the finish came to a sprint with James Budge timing his effort perfectly to take the win. Christo Chilton took second place, while Joe Ashman completing the podium in third.
The primes were shared around, with Ben Walker, Joe Ashman and Christo Chilton all taking a turn on the top step of the sprint podium.
Cat 3/4
After a well-earned lunch break to refuel, the riders returned to the circuit for th
The 3/4 race proved that some riders see rain not as a deterrent, but as a challenge.
While many of us were wondering whether we’d packed enough waterproofs, Christo Chilton apparently decided the best way to stay warm was to keep racing so spent a tenner and had another go. Having already stood on the podium in the previous event, he returned attacking the race to take a well-earned victory. Thomas Minshull of Team Wheelguru finished second, with Euan White of Chase Racing securing third.
Christo’s appetite for success extended to the sprint competition as well, taking the first two primes before finally allowing someone else a turn when Thomas Minshull claimed the third.
E123
By the time the E123 race rolled around, conditions had fully confirmed that summer had taken the day off.
A strong field lined up and, despite the weather, the pace was predictably fierce. Any thoughts of sitting in and staying dry disappeared within the opening laps.
This week there was no controversy over lapped riders, lost laps, calculators or requests for additional line judges. For that alone, everyone involved was grateful.
The race was won by Michael Gill of DAS Richardsons, who added two prime victories to his evening’s work for good measure. Charlie Hoyle of Hubo-Scott Cycling Team took second, while Joshua Knowles of TAAP Kalas finished third.
The final prime went to Charlie Hoyle, who presumably decided that if Michael was collecting everything else, somebody ought to share the spoils.
Masters 40+ (Cat 3/4)
The final race of the evening brought the Masters onto a circuit that was now thoroughly waterlogged.
With the results from the previous races now confirmed, Mark and Craig knew exactly what was required to achieve their season objectives. The question beforehand was whether series leader Mark Crompton would once again deliver one of his trademark displays of efficiency. Not necessarily attacking, not necessarily winning, just somehow always appearing exactly where he needed to be.
As it turned out, Mark produced another solid ride to finish ninth, exactly the result he needed to secure the overall WEBUYCYCLE League title.
Craig Lamont also delivered an excellent performance, holding his own against one of the strongest Masters fields of the season. His eighth place finish earned him British Cycling ranking points and capped off an impressive campaign, securing a top ten finish both on the day and in the overall league standings.
At the front, Paul Dring took the victory ahead of Alexander Whittaker, with Mitchell Hall making it two Kenton RC riders on the podium in third.
The primes were shared between Paul Dring, Mitchell Hall and Alexander Whittaker, meaning all three podium finishers managed to get involved before the chequered flag eventually brought an end to a very wet day.
It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but we just wanted to thank every racer, sponsor and volunteer that make this race series so special. In a time where more and events seem to be cancelled – we’ve now shown 3 years of growth. But more importantly, the laughs, competition, engagement and just general atmosphere on race days is what trully makes it special and thats down to everyone – so thanks again.
No more waffling, full results and social links below –
