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24/7 Willoughby
Once again the handicapping favoured the slower groups and groups 5 and 6 just failed to overcome groups 1 – 4 who were crossing the line as 5 and 6 started their sprint up the steepish hill.
Group 5 contained Rob Johnson, Tony Mendham and Dave Herd, but they rarely got their act together and were caught off a two minute handicap by group 6a containing Phil Etches and Phil Atherton at about the halfway distance of the 33 mile race.
Group 6b contained Paul Conneely and Chris Samler and they had a tough job catching group 6a off a four minute handicap. However, they managed to catch with less than two miles remaining and in the bunch sprint for the minor placings Phil Etches decisive kick took him clear of the field with Paul Conneely 3rd over the line and Chris Samler 4th.
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10/7 Alford
Despite reduced numbers there were still good results for club riders in the latest Velo race with Ian Makevit in gp 4, Tony Mendham, Ross Tomblin, Rob Johnson and Dave herd in gp 5 and Paul Conneely in gp 6. With all the groups working well it wasn't until the last lap that gp 5 caught gp 4 and gp 6 caught up with a mile to go. The bunch sprint was led out by Paul Conneely but Ross Tomblin got round him by the line with Macca not far behind, all winning their respective groups, although groups 1, 2 and 3 were never caught. |
29/5 Granby
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15/5 Serlby
A strong club presence in the latest round of the Velo 99 road race series over 35 miles on Sunday. With 5 minutes to make up on Group 5 the riders in Group 6 had a tough ride and were still a minute behind at the finish, leaving Paul Conneely, Phil Etches and Phil Atherton out of contention for the overal places.
The well organised group 5 rode smoothly throughout catching all the groups in front of them with Ross Tomblin taking an excellent 2nd in the bunch sprint which gave him first position in group 5. Tony Mendham and Rob Johnson finished in the top 10 with Dave Herd and Ian Makevit a little further back in the bunch. Top of Page» |
1/5 Norwell
Groups 2 and 3 managed to stay away thanks to a generous handicap and took up the first 11 places. Group 6 contained 4 strong riders, including Paul Conneely and Chris Samler and, with Paul constantly keeping the pace high, Phil Atherton was forced to dig deep and hang on but could contribute little to the group. On being caught Groups 5 and 4 were attacked at pace and only Rob Johnson and Ross Tomblin from group 5 could get across, with both Tony Mendham and Dave Herd being caught unaware at the vital moment and missed getting onto group 6. With the final hill beckoning the group had whittled down to 7 riders containing Paul Conneely, Chris Samler, Phil Atherton and Ross Tomblin with Paul deservedly winning the sprint to win group 6 and get 12th overall with Ross 14th, Chris 15th and Phil in 17th. |
3/4 Car Colston
Nine Wobblies lined up in the first Velo 99 handicap road race of the season. Kim Paxton debuted in group 3, as did Rob Johnson in group 4, with Ross Tomblin, Tony Mendham and Dave Herd in group 5 and Phil Etches, Paul Conneely, Chris Samler and Phil Atherton in group 6.
All the wobblies rode well within their groups although groups 3, 4 and 5 failed to ride smoothly and effectively and with 5 miles to go all the groups had come together and the 35 strong bunch started to slow in preparation for the finish. With 3 miles to go Ross Tomblin attacked into a headwind but was quickly closed down only for Rob Blackburn, the pre-race favourite from Sheffield, to launch a counter-attack. Chris Samler worked well to close him down and drag the peloton back together.
Little gaps started to appear as the group turned out of the wind with just over a mile to go but as the finish approached Rob Blackburn put an effort in before the sprint which enabled Phil Etches to kick past him for an excellent win. Paul Conneely just grabbed 2nd on the line with Rob Blackburn in 3rd and Phil Atherton holding on for 4th and Chris Samler just behind in 5th. A good day for the wobblies then, taking 4 of the top 5 places. Top of page»
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