Damien Clayton continued his winning start to the season for Le Col Race Team as he out-sprinted HUUB WattShop’s John Archibald to take victory in the Danum Trophy.
With the early morning rain that peppered South Yorkshire being replaced by blue skies as the pack rolled out from Sprotbrough, the only challenge the weather gods added to the six-mile circuit was a howling wind courtesy of Storm Kathleen, which manifested as a wicked crosswind which blew across the long straights that made up the top and bottom of the rectangular course.
What that wind meant, was that anyone who was happy embracing that extra challenge seemed to be better off than those who were getting their legs sapped by the extra effort they were having to maintain to try and keep themselves on the straight and narrow.
The first move of consequence came on the very first climb up to Cadeby, as Oliver Hurdle (StolenGoat Race Team) elected to take on the 4.1% gradient head-first and opened up a gap of a couple of seconds on the pack behind, many members of which were literally getting their elbows out to give themselves road position.
2024 Danum Trophy // Joe Hudson
Hurdle didn’t stay alone for too long and was engulfed in what became a group of 10, which worked well to turn itself into the decisive break – growing a lead of 70 seconds just four laps into the 11 lap event.
Made up of Clayton, Hurdle and Archibald, fellow front groupers included Spectra Racing pair Toby Barnes and Jenson Young – the former the reigning winner of the Trophy – Dylan Westley (USKIS Saint Piran), Bradley Symonds (Saint Piran), William Perrett (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling), Joe Shillabeer (Loughborough Students CC) and Cycling Sheffield’s Jack Hartley.
Pretty happy to just grow their lead, with Clayton confirming afterwards that they were all confident that one of the 10 would be the ultimate winner, there were no moves or indeed any attempts to really disturb the equilibrium.
That all changed with two laps remaining as Clayton, Shillabeer, Archibald and Symonds punched off the front – instigated by the Le Col rider – and succeeded in splintering the front group.
Whittled down to four, Clayton wanted it even thinner, and as the bell sounded he punched again and opened up a few seconds of an advantage over the remaining three.
2024 Danum Trophy // Joe Hudson
The only rider able to bridge to him was Archibald, and as they wound their way to the finish line for the final time, the pair were neck-and-neck. Swinging from right-side of the road to left, Clayton prevailed by a bike length to add another win to his 2024 results.
He said after the race: “The race wasn’t that hard, I think it was raced from the front and we just got into such a good group and everyone was represented and we all worked super well. It all just whittled down in the crosswinds really, I think if you knew how to ride in the wind it was quite easy.
“It was nice for me that it wasn’t too hard over the little dig – which I’ve always struggled on – and then it was in the crosswinds that everything happened. I attacked twice and then it was obvious that John Archibald was second-strongest in our group so I just played it tactical with him and trusted my sprint to take it at the end.”
Symonds took the final place on the podium to carry on Saint Piran’s dominant streak of top three finishes.
Damien Clayton continued his winning start to the season for Le Col Race Team as he out-sprinted HUUB WattShop’s John Archibald to take victory in the Danum Trophy.
Featured image: Joe Hudson
Report
With the early morning rain that peppered South Yorkshire being replaced by blue skies as the pack rolled out from Sprotbrough, the only challenge the weather gods added to the six-mile circuit was a howling wind courtesy of Storm Kathleen, which manifested as a wicked crosswind which blew across the long straights that made up the top and bottom of the rectangular course.
What that wind meant, was that anyone who was happy embracing that extra challenge seemed to be better off than those who were getting their legs sapped by the extra effort they were having to maintain to try and keep themselves on the straight and narrow.
The first move of consequence came on the very first climb up to Cadeby, as Oliver Hurdle (StolenGoat Race Team) elected to take on the 4.1% gradient head-first and opened up a gap of a couple of seconds on the pack behind, many members of which were literally getting their elbows out to give themselves road position.
Hurdle didn’t stay alone for too long and was engulfed in what became a group of 10, which worked well to turn itself into the decisive break – growing a lead of 70 seconds just four laps into the 11 lap event.
Made up of Clayton, Hurdle and Archibald, fellow front groupers included Spectra Racing pair Toby Barnes and Jenson Young – the former the reigning winner of the Trophy – Dylan Westley (USKIS Saint Piran), Bradley Symonds (Saint Piran), William Perrett (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling), Joe Shillabeer (Loughborough Students CC) and Cycling Sheffield’s Jack Hartley.
Pretty happy to just grow their lead, with Clayton confirming afterwards that they were all confident that one of the 10 would be the ultimate winner, there were no moves or indeed any attempts to really disturb the equilibrium.
That all changed with two laps remaining as Clayton, Shillabeer, Archibald and Symonds punched off the front – instigated by the Le Col rider – and succeeded in splintering the front group.
Whittled down to four, Clayton wanted it even thinner, and as the bell sounded he punched again and opened up a few seconds of an advantage over the remaining three.
The only rider able to bridge to him was Archibald, and as they wound their way to the finish line for the final time, the pair were neck-and-neck. Swinging from right-side of the road to left, Clayton prevailed by a bike length to add another win to his 2024 results.
He said after the race: “The race wasn’t that hard, I think it was raced from the front and we just got into such a good group and everyone was represented and we all worked super well. It all just whittled down in the crosswinds really, I think if you knew how to ride in the wind it was quite easy.
“It was nice for me that it wasn’t too hard over the little dig – which I’ve always struggled on – and then it was in the crosswinds that everything happened. I attacked twice and then it was obvious that John Archibald was second-strongest in our group so I just played it tactical with him and trusted my sprint to take it at the end.”
Symonds took the final place on the podium to carry on Saint Piran’s dominant streak of top three finishes.
Results
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