The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
The British road racing season began on Sunday with the Perfs Pedal road race. Renowned for taking place in grim conditions, the 2022 edition didn’t disappoint, with strong winds and rain battering the riders throughout.
The weather conditions and the lumpy terrain served to whittle down the field in the early laps but the first major move came with two laps to go when former Alpecin-Fenix pro Alex Richardson hit out on a solo break.
Josh Whitehead (WiV SunGod) was among the riders that worked to keep Richardson’s gap in check, before his teammate Damien Clayton – second in the race in 2019 – clipped off the front of the bunch with under-23 rider Samuel Painter (La Tova) on the final lap.
Sam Painter and Damien Clayton in pursuit. Photo: Tom Austin
An untimely pinch puncture with four kilometres to go put paid to Alex Richardson’s hopes of victory, however. Clayton seized the advantage in the closing stages, breaking clear from Painter to take the win, the fifth victory in a row at the race for Tim Elverson‘s team.
Behind, junior rider Euan Woodliffe led in the reduced bunch to take an impressive third place, marking him as one to watch in the season ahead. The Spirit Bontrager BSS Rotor team rounded out the rest of the top five through Farley Barber and Joshua Price.
“I quite enjoyed the rain,” Clayton said after the race. “I wore the right kit, so unlike some others I was actually quite warm on the bike. There was a lot of pressure coming in today. Tim’s never lost this race, so we had to deliver with one of us and there was only two of us today.”
The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
The British road racing season began on Sunday with the Perfs Pedal road race. Renowned for taking place in grim conditions, the 2022 edition didn’t disappoint, with strong winds and rain battering the riders throughout.
The weather conditions and the lumpy terrain served to whittle down the field in the early laps but the first major move came with two laps to go when former Alpecin-Fenix pro Alex Richardson hit out on a solo break.
Josh Whitehead (WiV SunGod) was among the riders that worked to keep Richardson’s gap in check, before his teammate Damien Clayton – second in the race in 2019 – clipped off the front of the bunch with under-23 rider Samuel Painter (La Tova) on the final lap.
An untimely pinch puncture with four kilometres to go put paid to Alex Richardson’s hopes of victory, however. Clayton seized the advantage in the closing stages, breaking clear from Painter to take the win, the fifth victory in a row at the race for Tim Elverson‘s team.
Behind, junior rider Euan Woodliffe led in the reduced bunch to take an impressive third place, marking him as one to watch in the season ahead. The Spirit Bontrager BSS Rotor team rounded out the rest of the top five through Farley Barber and Joshua Price.
“I quite enjoyed the rain,” Clayton said after the race. “I wore the right kit, so unlike some others I was actually quite warm on the bike. There was a lot of pressure coming in today. Tim’s never lost this race, so we had to deliver with one of us and there was only two of us today.”
Featured photo: Hugh McManus
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