The cyclocross season is now back in full swing, though our local Eastern League hasn’t yet kicked off. Several Wheelers were in action this weekend, first at Derby in Round 1 of the National Trophy series, then at Milton Keynes for Round 2 of the Central Cyclocross league.
Harley Gregory (Under 16) and Peter Golding (Vet 60) made the trip to Derby for the Trophy race on Saturday. The National Trophy is the highest level of domestic competition in the UK, made up of 6 rounds running from September through to December. With the lack of racing last season, riders were gridded at random. Harley worked his way up to 40th from a grid position of 104 (!), with Peter finishing 15th, having been gridded 30th.
On Sunday, Matt Denny and Stephen Brook headed to the Milton Keynes Bowl. Being Eastern riders in a Central league race, they were gridded on the back row, with Matt getting a strong start to finish 19th and Stephen finishing 29th from a field of over 60 riders.
The Eastern cyclocross league kicks off next weekend at Springfield (near Chelmsford) – and be sure to make a note in your diary for the Wheelers fixture, to be held at West Stow Country Park on Saturday 6 November.
And some gravel news….
Outside of cyclocross, there was some gravel racing in our area this weekend, with the inaugural Kings Cup and self-declared British Gravel Championship being held in Kings Forest. The 19-59 age group had an eclectic mix of riders, with semi-pro road racer Ryan Christensen taking the win, triathlete Alistair Brownlee second, and U23 pro-cyclocross rider Cameron Mason in 3rd. Local rider Seb Herrod finished a strong 4th. Peter Golding of WSW completed a busy weekend by finishing 8th in the 60+ age category, won by local off-road stalwart Nigel Herrod.