Ollie Snodden (Mandene Racing) took a debut National B road race win in Inkberrow on Sunday (8 March), attacking at the right moment from a four-man group to hold off a determined sprint behind.
Ollie Snodden (Mandene Racing) took a debut National B road race win in Inkberrow on Sunday (8 March), attacking at the right moment from a four-man group to hold off a determined sprint behind.
Featured image: Josh Wheeler/JoWSportsMedia
Report
Four and a half laps of the lumpy Inkberrow parcours, a forecast of biting crosswinds and intermittent showers, and a stacked field with genuine pre-race favourites — the Evesham Vale Road Race had the makings of a hard, attrition-driven day. In the event, it delivered on almost every count, though not quite in the manner the form book suggested. Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing), 25 years old and without a National B road race win to his name, left with the prize.
Organised by Evesham Wheelers out of Inkberrow Village Hall, the race has built a reputation over the decades for producing precisely this kind of outcome: a parcours that saps rather than detonates, that rewards tactical patience over raw power, and that has a habit of throwing up winners who read the race better than their rivals.
The early laps were uncompromising. The opening three circuits as fast and largely stifled, with no move able to sustain a gap. The first significant break came with roughly one and a half laps to go – seven riders went clear, BCC Race Team represented by Lewis Tinsley, alongside riders from Cycling Sheffield, Schils–Doltcini RT, Moonglu SpatzWear, TAAP Kalas, Foran CT, and Bridgnorth CC. A subsequent group bridged across, but with the combined move growing too large to function, cooperation broke down and the road came back together with a lap remaining.
Image: Josh Wheeler/JoWSportsMedia
The decisive counter came from Ethan Squires (BCC Race Team). Seeing the large group collapse, he went over the top and was followed immediately by Piers Mahn (DAS–Richardsons), whose team-mates provided timely assistance in holding off the bunch.
The pair’s gap was real and growing. Snodden recognised the moment and bridged across; Ollie Hucks (Foran CT) joined shortly after, completing a four-man group that began working with a clarity the earlier move had lacked. “We worked super cohesively,” Snodden says, “and the gap grew quite quickly.” The course’s topography helped, enabling the quartet to move out of sight of the chasers.
Inside the final kilometre and a half, Snodden felt the group beginning to tighten. On the final kicker to the line, he rolled off the front, and the hesitation among the others was enough. “I had legs to carry it to the finish,” he says.
Image: Josh Wheeler/JoWSportsMedia
Hucks took second, coming round Squires in the final 50 metres; Squires, who had opened the sprint with under 200 metres to go, finished third, with Mahn in fourth. Elijah Kwon (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) led home home the bunch for fifth.
For Snodden, a first National B road race win – earned through timing and a sharp reading of a race that asked all the right questions. “I’m really happy,” he told The British Continental. “Coming out of winter, it’s always hard to gauge how well you’re going, and I couldn’t have wished for a better start to the year.”
Ollie Snodden (Mandene Racing) took a debut National B road race win in Inkberrow on Sunday (8 March), attacking at the right moment from a four-man group to hold off a determined sprint behind.
Featured image: Josh Wheeler/JoWSportsMedia
Report
Four and a half laps of the lumpy Inkberrow parcours, a forecast of biting crosswinds and intermittent showers, and a stacked field with genuine pre-race favourites — the Evesham Vale Road Race had the makings of a hard, attrition-driven day. In the event, it delivered on almost every count, though not quite in the manner the form book suggested. Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing), 25 years old and without a National B road race win to his name, left with the prize.
Organised by Evesham Wheelers out of Inkberrow Village Hall, the race has built a reputation over the decades for producing precisely this kind of outcome: a parcours that saps rather than detonates, that rewards tactical patience over raw power, and that has a habit of throwing up winners who read the race better than their rivals.
The early laps were uncompromising. The opening three circuits as fast and largely stifled, with no move able to sustain a gap. The first significant break came with roughly one and a half laps to go – seven riders went clear, BCC Race Team represented by Lewis Tinsley, alongside riders from Cycling Sheffield, Schils–Doltcini RT, Moonglu SpatzWear, TAAP Kalas, Foran CT, and Bridgnorth CC. A subsequent group bridged across, but with the combined move growing too large to function, cooperation broke down and the road came back together with a lap remaining.
The decisive counter came from Ethan Squires (BCC Race Team). Seeing the large group collapse, he went over the top and was followed immediately by Piers Mahn (DAS–Richardsons), whose team-mates provided timely assistance in holding off the bunch.
The pair’s gap was real and growing. Snodden recognised the moment and bridged across; Ollie Hucks (Foran CT) joined shortly after, completing a four-man group that began working with a clarity the earlier move had lacked. “We worked super cohesively,” Snodden says, “and the gap grew quite quickly.” The course’s topography helped, enabling the quartet to move out of sight of the chasers.
Inside the final kilometre and a half, Snodden felt the group beginning to tighten. On the final kicker to the line, he rolled off the front, and the hesitation among the others was enough. “I had legs to carry it to the finish,” he says.
Hucks took second, coming round Squires in the final 50 metres; Squires, who had opened the sprint with under 200 metres to go, finished third, with Mahn in fourth. Elijah Kwon (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) led home home the bunch for fifth.
For Snodden, a first National B road race win – earned through timing and a sharp reading of a race that asked all the right questions. “I’m really happy,” he told The British Continental. “Coming out of winter, it’s always hard to gauge how well you’re going, and I couldn’t have wished for a better start to the year.”
Results
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.