Olly Curd converted a perfectly executed DAS Richardsons lead-out to win the 42nd Jock Wadley Memorial on Sunday (8 March), with Frank Longstaff second to complete a commanding one-two for the local squad.
Olly Curd converted a perfectly executed DAS Richardsons lead-out to win the 42nd Jock Wadley Memorial on Sunday (8 March), with Frank Longstaff second to complete a commanding one-two for the local squad.
Featured image: Mark James
Report
Racing at the 42nd Jock Wadley Memorial unfolded across 12 testing laps of the Abberton Reservoir circuit in relatively forgiving March conditions. Without the crosswinds that can shatter the field into fragments along the reservoir’s exposed stretches, the race stayed together longer than it might have – and stayed correspondingly chaotic, with attacks flying and nothing sticking until late in the day.
Named for the pioneering British cycling journalist who brought the European peloton to a domestic audience in the post-war years, the Wadley has its own modest but real prestige. Jacob Vaughan’s absence – the two-time defending champion kept home by a virus – removed the day’s most anticipated storyline before the flag dropped, and opened the door for someone new to write their name on the roll of honour that includes, among others, the man in the DAS Richardsons team car.
Early in the race, James Somerfield (Schils–Doltcini Racing Team) was one of the most visibly animated presences, probing for gaps and testing the field’s willingness to respond through the opening two laps. The race was then briefly neutralised on lap three following a collision involving Aaron Freeman (London Dynamo), who struck a stationary vehicle and was taken to hospital; everyone at The British Continental wishes him a full recovery. When racing resumed, the pattern continued: repeated accelerations, repeated closures, a bunch unwilling to let anything go clear.
Image: Mark James
With around three laps remaining, the decisive move finally got away. Chris McNamara (Sigma Sports Race Team), Caleb Pain (Ride Revolution Coaching), and Isaac Wright (Strada Wheels RT–Lucentsys) established a gap and held it through the penultimate lap, arriving at the bell with what looked, briefly, like a workable lead. The break had no major team represented – which, from DAS Richardsons’ perspective, settled the question of what to do about it. Frank Longstaff spoke to his teammates and committed to riding it down. With seven riders at their disposal, the squad set about the chase in the closing kilometres, catching the trio with one or two kilometres remaining.
Longstaff had already spoken to Olly Curd about the plan. As the two recognised sprinters in the squad, they had agreed that Longstaff would lead out — a calculation partly tactical, partly honest. “I wasn’t feeling fantastic,” Longstaff recalls, “and I just knew that I would do a better job at positioning and I knew Olly would have the legs to win.” The misdirection may also have helped: most riders, Longstaff suggests, would have assumed Curd was working in service of him rather than the other way around.
Up the final drag, Longstaff kicked as hard as he could. He looked round, saw Curd on his wheel, and kept going until he was spent – at which point Curd came round him to take the win. “Just as I was tying up,” Longstaff says, “Olly popped round me and comfortably took the win.” When Longstaff looked back, the pair had a clear gap on the rest of the bunch. They celebrated together.
James Ambrose-Parish (Ride Revolution Coaching) finished third; Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), the Portsdown Classic winner and one of the pre-race favourites, came home fourth.
Image: Mark James
“The break of three were always going to get caught,” Curd says. “On the last lap we could see them closing in – as a three on that course, it’s hard, and we would have a lot more speed going up the drag on the reservoir. I’m pretty confident in my sprint. Andy really wanted us to win, and then me and Frank pulled it off.”
For Longstaff, there was an extra layer to the result. DAS Richardsons are an Essex team, and the Wadley is their local race – yet it had, until today, eluded them. “It’s something we kind of joke about in the team, that the Wadley is cursed for us,” he says. Manager Andy Lyons has won the race twice as a rider; the team never had. “To break that curse today, and get a one-two as well – it’s just the icing on the cake. I don’t think that smile’s disappearing off his face anytime soon.”
Olly Curd converted a perfectly executed DAS Richardsons lead-out to win the 42nd Jock Wadley Memorial on Sunday (8 March), with Frank Longstaff second to complete a commanding one-two for the local squad.
Featured image: Mark James
Report
Racing at the 42nd Jock Wadley Memorial unfolded across 12 testing laps of the Abberton Reservoir circuit in relatively forgiving March conditions. Without the crosswinds that can shatter the field into fragments along the reservoir’s exposed stretches, the race stayed together longer than it might have – and stayed correspondingly chaotic, with attacks flying and nothing sticking until late in the day.
Named for the pioneering British cycling journalist who brought the European peloton to a domestic audience in the post-war years, the Wadley has its own modest but real prestige. Jacob Vaughan’s absence – the two-time defending champion kept home by a virus – removed the day’s most anticipated storyline before the flag dropped, and opened the door for someone new to write their name on the roll of honour that includes, among others, the man in the DAS Richardsons team car.
Early in the race, James Somerfield (Schils–Doltcini Racing Team) was one of the most visibly animated presences, probing for gaps and testing the field’s willingness to respond through the opening two laps. The race was then briefly neutralised on lap three following a collision involving Aaron Freeman (London Dynamo), who struck a stationary vehicle and was taken to hospital; everyone at The British Continental wishes him a full recovery. When racing resumed, the pattern continued: repeated accelerations, repeated closures, a bunch unwilling to let anything go clear.
With around three laps remaining, the decisive move finally got away. Chris McNamara (Sigma Sports Race Team), Caleb Pain (Ride Revolution Coaching), and Isaac Wright (Strada Wheels RT–Lucentsys) established a gap and held it through the penultimate lap, arriving at the bell with what looked, briefly, like a workable lead. The break had no major team represented – which, from DAS Richardsons’ perspective, settled the question of what to do about it. Frank Longstaff spoke to his teammates and committed to riding it down. With seven riders at their disposal, the squad set about the chase in the closing kilometres, catching the trio with one or two kilometres remaining.
Longstaff had already spoken to Olly Curd about the plan. As the two recognised sprinters in the squad, they had agreed that Longstaff would lead out — a calculation partly tactical, partly honest. “I wasn’t feeling fantastic,” Longstaff recalls, “and I just knew that I would do a better job at positioning and I knew Olly would have the legs to win.” The misdirection may also have helped: most riders, Longstaff suggests, would have assumed Curd was working in service of him rather than the other way around.
Up the final drag, Longstaff kicked as hard as he could. He looked round, saw Curd on his wheel, and kept going until he was spent – at which point Curd came round him to take the win. “Just as I was tying up,” Longstaff says, “Olly popped round me and comfortably took the win.” When Longstaff looked back, the pair had a clear gap on the rest of the bunch. They celebrated together.
James Ambrose-Parish (Ride Revolution Coaching) finished third; Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), the Portsdown Classic winner and one of the pre-race favourites, came home fourth.
“The break of three were always going to get caught,” Curd says. “On the last lap we could see them closing in – as a three on that course, it’s hard, and we would have a lot more speed going up the drag on the reservoir. I’m pretty confident in my sprint. Andy really wanted us to win, and then me and Frank pulled it off.”
For Longstaff, there was an extra layer to the result. DAS Richardsons are an Essex team, and the Wadley is their local race – yet it had, until today, eluded them. “It’s something we kind of joke about in the team, that the Wadley is cursed for us,” he says. Manager Andy Lyons has won the race twice as a rider; the team never had. “To break that curse today, and get a one-two as well – it’s just the icing on the cake. I don’t think that smile’s disappearing off his face anytime soon.”
Results
Full results will be added when available.
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