Alex Beldon won the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race, the first round of the Under-23 Open National Road Series, taking his first win in the colours of Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck from a small group of five riders who escaped in the latter stages of a tough, hard-fought race on a blustery day in North West Leicestershire.
Featured image: Gary Main
Report
The race started in typically aggressive fashion with a field containing some of Britain’s best young riders all looking to show their potential on the National Series stage. A strong north-westerly wind, with gusts of up to 35mph failed to deter Dylan Hicks, one of the pre-race favourites, from deciding attack was the best form of defence as he launched a solo move on the opening lap, carving out a 30 second lead in the stylish new white jersey of Raptor Factory Racing. Meanwhile, Stanley Cooke (Lea Valley Youth CC) found luck was not to be on his side as he punctured out of the race on the first ascent of Vinegar Hill, the peloton tightly grouped at this stage.
With the peloton alert to the danger Hicks posed, his advantage was shortlived – a flurry of activity at the front of the bunch neutralising his lead; a number of riders trying their luck as the counterattacks started immediately. Sam Long (VC Londres) briefly drew out a 20 second advantage, with a five rider move establishling itself by the end of the lap: Zak Machin (BCC RT), Sam Chaplin (Cycling Sheffield), Gabriel Taylor (Ride Revolution Coaching) and Alex Franks (Raptor Factory Racing) among the aggressors.
Their advantage would again not last long as the race continued to be run at a fast pace, the quintet caught soon after the end of the second lap. Ahron Dick (Equipo Finisher), James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club), who was on the podium here last year, and university students Thomas Gardner (Exeter University) and Edward Charles (University of Nottingham) were the next riders to gain a notable gap, which grew to 50 seconds at its largest.
Behind the race was really on as riders sensed the danger as the gap crept up; the race splitting up as riders bridged across to the four leaders, a group of 11 now at the head of race. They were pursued by a group of around 20 as riders began to climb off at the tail end of proceedings.
As the race settled down, the third group on the road, the peloton, became somewhat detached from the race ahead, a lack of cooperation leading to it splintering and falling to 1:30 in arrears. Meanwhile the second group, now of only 15 riders, made contact with the leaders on the fifth lap as the race neared its halfway mark.
Jake Edwards (360Cycling) entered the race as one of the form riders of the season so far and having made the leading group he attacked on Vinegar Hill at the end of the sixth lap. Joe Reeves (Reflex Nopinz) led the chase as the group became strung out in single file turning onto the finishing straight – a typically audacious attack from Edwards, but one which could not be ignored. He was unable to get a substantial gap however, and a fresh group of five riders established themselves at the head of affairs, led by Welsh Champion Sam Llewelyn (PB Performance), with Maxwell Hereward (360Cycling), Satoor, Oliver Mangham (DAS-Richardsons) and Denholm Edwards (Cycling Sheffield) following his wheel, their advantage around 20 seconds to the second group on the road.
With the wind continuing to blow, the race was becoming a true test of racecraft as well as strength, the latest aforementioned move failing to last a lap as the race neared its last third. On the seventh ascent of Vinegar Hill, Elliot Fraser continued 360Cycling’s aggressive outlook, dragging a dangerous group containing Alex Franks (Raptor Factory Racing), Gardner, Max Bufton (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli), and eventual winner Alex Beldon (Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck) away.
With their gap up to a minute within a lap, and the group appearing harmonious in their desire to stay away, Ahron Dick launched an attack from the chasing group in an effort to bridge across; the feeling starting to appear that winner was coming from the head out the race without immediate intervention.
However, it was Maxwell Hereward (360 Cycling) and Sam Nisbet (Reflex Nopinz) who gained the most traction on the leading quintet as the race entered the final lap of ten, the group behind blown to pieces with the gap sitting at just under a minute. The likes of Llewelyn and Hicks were now poised in a select third group on the road, should be race come back together.
Image: Gary Main
However, the quintet outfront would stay away, a thrilling sprint finish in store as the riders crested Vinegar Hill together; the finish line, up a gentle drag within sight as they rounded the final corner. Beldon emerged from the centre of the group, raising his hands as he took the win; the former Trinity Racing rider getting his season off to an excellent start. Nisbet took second, with Franks rounding out the podium.
Alex Beldon won the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race, the first round of the Under-23 Open National Road Series, taking his first win in the colours of Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck from a small group of five riders who escaped in the latter stages of a tough, hard-fought race on a blustery day in North West Leicestershire.
Featured image: Gary Main
Report
The race started in typically aggressive fashion with a field containing some of Britain’s best young riders all looking to show their potential on the National Series stage. A strong north-westerly wind, with gusts of up to 35mph failed to deter Dylan Hicks, one of the pre-race favourites, from deciding attack was the best form of defence as he launched a solo move on the opening lap, carving out a 30 second lead in the stylish new white jersey of Raptor Factory Racing. Meanwhile, Stanley Cooke (Lea Valley Youth CC) found luck was not to be on his side as he punctured out of the race on the first ascent of Vinegar Hill, the peloton tightly grouped at this stage.
With the peloton alert to the danger Hicks posed, his advantage was shortlived – a flurry of activity at the front of the bunch neutralising his lead; a number of riders trying their luck as the counterattacks started immediately. Sam Long (VC Londres) briefly drew out a 20 second advantage, with a five rider move establishling itself by the end of the lap: Zak Machin (BCC RT), Sam Chaplin (Cycling Sheffield), Gabriel Taylor (Ride Revolution Coaching) and Alex Franks (Raptor Factory Racing) among the aggressors.
Their advantage would again not last long as the race continued to be run at a fast pace, the quintet caught soon after the end of the second lap. Ahron Dick (Equipo Finisher), James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club), who was on the podium here last year, and university students Thomas Gardner (Exeter University) and Edward Charles (University of Nottingham) were the next riders to gain a notable gap, which grew to 50 seconds at its largest.
Behind the race was really on as riders sensed the danger as the gap crept up; the race splitting up as riders bridged across to the four leaders, a group of 11 now at the head of race. They were pursued by a group of around 20 as riders began to climb off at the tail end of proceedings.
As the race settled down, the third group on the road, the peloton, became somewhat detached from the race ahead, a lack of cooperation leading to it splintering and falling to 1:30 in arrears. Meanwhile the second group, now of only 15 riders, made contact with the leaders on the fifth lap as the race neared its halfway mark.
Jake Edwards (360Cycling) entered the race as one of the form riders of the season so far and having made the leading group he attacked on Vinegar Hill at the end of the sixth lap. Joe Reeves (Reflex Nopinz) led the chase as the group became strung out in single file turning onto the finishing straight – a typically audacious attack from Edwards, but one which could not be ignored. He was unable to get a substantial gap however, and a fresh group of five riders established themselves at the head of affairs, led by Welsh Champion Sam Llewelyn (PB Performance), with Maxwell Hereward (360Cycling), Satoor, Oliver Mangham (DAS-Richardsons) and Denholm Edwards (Cycling Sheffield) following his wheel, their advantage around 20 seconds to the second group on the road.
With the wind continuing to blow, the race was becoming a true test of racecraft as well as strength, the latest aforementioned move failing to last a lap as the race neared its last third. On the seventh ascent of Vinegar Hill, Elliot Fraser continued 360Cycling’s aggressive outlook, dragging a dangerous group containing Alex Franks (Raptor Factory Racing), Gardner, Max Bufton (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli), and eventual winner Alex Beldon (Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck) away.
With their gap up to a minute within a lap, and the group appearing harmonious in their desire to stay away, Ahron Dick launched an attack from the chasing group in an effort to bridge across; the feeling starting to appear that winner was coming from the head out the race without immediate intervention.
However, it was Maxwell Hereward (360 Cycling) and Sam Nisbet (Reflex Nopinz) who gained the most traction on the leading quintet as the race entered the final lap of ten, the group behind blown to pieces with the gap sitting at just under a minute. The likes of Llewelyn and Hicks were now poised in a select third group on the road, should be race come back together.
However, the quintet outfront would stay away, a thrilling sprint finish in store as the riders crested Vinegar Hill together; the finish line, up a gentle drag within sight as they rounded the final corner. Beldon emerged from the centre of the group, raising his hands as he took the win; the former Trinity Racing rider getting his season off to an excellent start. Nisbet took second, with Franks rounding out the podium.
Results
To follow.
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.