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WeBuyCycle Crit League Round 6 Race Report

Am I starting to sound like a broken record yet? Glorious sunshine, but AI Bas decided to mix things up and scheduled a light breeze for the day. Those on track might describe it with more colourful adjectives (and maybe the odd expletive), but it certainly made things interesting.

Women’s 2/3/4

This week’s Women’s 2/3/4 only managed to squeeze 10 riders onto the start list, but it was another strong field. First-timer Olivia Bates came to Darley for her first ever crit race despite being more used to rowing and triathlon. She did the sensible thing (debatable) by chatting to the organisers about how best to approach the race. The advice was simple: if you’re comfortable in the bunch and can cope with the surges and changes of pace, stick with it and go for the bunch sprint. If you’d rather push the pedals at your own pace, attack and make a break for it. Olivia chose the latter… and won convincingly!
 
Abbie Taylor was back again to put some serious points on the sprint competition, with current leader Ewan Mackie missing this week. She went hard for every sprint, but a fast-charging Lucy Ball decided she wanted to take a couple for herself. With one prime and a podium, Abbie left the day leading the sprint competition overall.

Open 4th Category

The Open 4th Cats were up next. A big field and a strong wind had our line judges sweating. On a day like this, we normally end up with groups all over the road and lapped riders causing chaos.

A few riders struggled with the pace, but the bunch stayed together and nobody could make a break stick. The top three crossed the line within a bike length of each other. Well done to James Taylor and Liam Kirkby of 7 Hills in first and second, with Jack Wong taking third.

 

Cat 3/4

The 3/4s. What a race! Several attempts were made to form a break before the Vetta duo of Matt Hollands and Adam Millington, Oscar Smith of Peterborough CC, and Thomas Minshull of Team Wheelguru finally making a move stick.

They worked hard… or did they just make it look hard? Either way, they made it to the finish without being caught, with Matt just missing out on a podium place, Oscar took the win from Thomas, with Adam in third.

E123

Next up, the Nat B. Our line judges had to ask the Commissaires to take their shoes and socks off so extra toes could be drafted in to count the lapped riders.

We won’t go into the post-race negotiations needed to finalise the result but, needless to say, Damien Clayton put out an impressive number of watts to lap the field and cause havoc by leaving it until the final lap to pass the main bunch.

Cue all kinds of issues with lost laps and questions about what a chequered flag actually means.

We have some of the most seasoned and mature competitors racing at Darley Moor and, while I’m sure some were disappointed, the mood remained professional and understanding throughout. For that, the organisers, Commissaires and line judges tip our hats and say, chapeaux.
 
The win went to Damien Clayton, ahead of Michael Gill of DAS Richardsons, with Toby Barnes of UV Aube taking third.

Masters 40+ (Cat 3/4)

Time for the last race of the day: the Masters. We’d been placing bets on whether Mark Compton would turn up after missing the start of his holiday last time out. We imagined his wife had probably buried him under the patio on his return, but either he’s as good with women as he is at riding a bike, or the number of blue jobs he’s been doing around the house has increased tenfold.
 
With second place in the GC, Tom Harris of 54/11, finishing outside the top 10 in his race, Mark knew he needed a disciplined ride to stay near the front and out of trouble. A fast race split into several groups, with Mark snuggled in the bosom of the front bunch, doing just enough to stay near the front while keeping himself safe and out of trouble. He came over the line in a credible fifth to retain the leader’s jersey going into the final round.
 
The win went to Anthony Walles of Born to Ride, ahead of Duncan Putnam of Derby Mercury, with Steve Young of RAF taking third

Additional Info

All the admin should be up to date, so Click here if you want to see the updated GC Standings or click here to see the A6 Coffee Co Sprinters Cup!

Gallery below for the full results and the usual social media goodness. 

The We Buy Cycle Crit League takes a break for a month now and the final round will be August. This allows us to focus on the Jono Hornblow Memorial GP, which promises to be a day of racing and celebration to honour our friend – places will be limited so don’t leave it to the last minute to enter – click here for details

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Capturing the action in glorious still format was 

 

Vlogs as usual come from sponsor Triathlon Dan ( and Andy who builds on his first performance. Liek you, we’re still waiting on Haus regular Craig Goes Cycling…  Like and subscribe ;)

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