Danylo Riwnyj won the 65th Wally Gimber Trophy on Sunday, attacking on the final lap of the Bletchingley circuit to force the winning move with Luca Nicholson before beating him in a standing sprint on the line, Sunday 22 March
Danylo Riwnyj won the 65th Wally Gimber Trophy on Sunday, attacking on the final lap of the Bletchingley circuit to force the winning move with Luca Nicholson before beating him in a standing sprint on the line. The victory gives Foran CT their first domestic win of the 2026 season.
Featured image: Mark James
Report
A mild, dry March morning made conditions on the Bletchingley circuit about as forgiving as they ever get. But the race was no less selective for it. Eight and a half laps of 16.4 kilometres, Scott’s Hill at double-digit gradients each time around, and 140 kilometres in total were enough to strip the field back to the riders who could absorb the effort, lap after lap, without missing a turn of the screw on the climb.
That the 65th edition ran full distance was notable in itself. The 2023 race was stopped after a collision on lap two, while last year’s edition was abandoned when a fallen tree blocked the course. This time, with presenting sponsor JAKROO backing the event, the race reached its conclusion properly.
Image: Mark James
The decisive selection began to take shape on lap three, when Riwnyj and Alex Pickering bridged across to an earlier move and helped form a front group that settled into its work through the middle phase of the race. As the laps wore on and the elastic began to snap, the race thinned again. Riwnyj and Pickering remained at the front, joined by Nicholson, Jack Crook (Moda RT) and Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing), with the winning move still to come.
Walsham lost contact before the final lap and eventually finished 3:02 down. Up front, Riwnyj made his move late. Nicholson was the only rider able to respond, and the pair went clear together for a final-lap duel that held all the way to the finish. Riwnyj had the better of the sprint; Nicholson took second on the same time, with Pickering third at 12 seconds.
Ride Revolution Coaching placed three riders in the top ten – Pickering third, Clay Davies fifth and Gabriel Dellar ninth – for the strongest team performance of the day. Dylan Hicks, racing for UN Cycling Team x Pyörävarikko and the most high-profile name in the field, finished 17th.
“It was attritional,” Riwnyj said. “The move went pretty early on, third lap — me and Alex from Ride Revolution bridged across, and then we were part of a cohesive 10-man group that worked well together. Towards the latter stages there were attacks going off. I just managed to get the right split with a five-man group off the front.”
Image: Mark James
The finish, he said, came down to “pretty much a standing sprint”, with Riwnyj just able to edge Nicholson on the line.
The win is Riwnyj’s first domestic road result of the season, after opening his year with UCI racing in Rhodes. “Good to get some UCI exposure, just confidence again at that level,” he said, “and then back in the UK, it’s good to kick-start the campaign with a win.”
Foran CT’s spring now turns towards the Rás Mumhan at Easter. On this showing, they head there with momentum.
Danylo Riwnyj won the 65th Wally Gimber Trophy on Sunday, attacking on the final lap of the Bletchingley circuit to force the winning move with Luca Nicholson before beating him in a standing sprint on the line. The victory gives Foran CT their first domestic win of the 2026 season.
Featured image: Mark James
Report
A mild, dry March morning made conditions on the Bletchingley circuit about as forgiving as they ever get. But the race was no less selective for it. Eight and a half laps of 16.4 kilometres, Scott’s Hill at double-digit gradients each time around, and 140 kilometres in total were enough to strip the field back to the riders who could absorb the effort, lap after lap, without missing a turn of the screw on the climb.
That the 65th edition ran full distance was notable in itself. The 2023 race was stopped after a collision on lap two, while last year’s edition was abandoned when a fallen tree blocked the course. This time, with presenting sponsor JAKROO backing the event, the race reached its conclusion properly.
The decisive selection began to take shape on lap three, when Riwnyj and Alex Pickering bridged across to an earlier move and helped form a front group that settled into its work through the middle phase of the race. As the laps wore on and the elastic began to snap, the race thinned again. Riwnyj and Pickering remained at the front, joined by Nicholson, Jack Crook (Moda RT) and Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing), with the winning move still to come.
Walsham lost contact before the final lap and eventually finished 3:02 down. Up front, Riwnyj made his move late. Nicholson was the only rider able to respond, and the pair went clear together for a final-lap duel that held all the way to the finish. Riwnyj had the better of the sprint; Nicholson took second on the same time, with Pickering third at 12 seconds.
Ride Revolution Coaching placed three riders in the top ten – Pickering third, Clay Davies fifth and Gabriel Dellar ninth – for the strongest team performance of the day. Dylan Hicks, racing for UN Cycling Team x Pyörävarikko and the most high-profile name in the field, finished 17th.
“It was attritional,” Riwnyj said. “The move went pretty early on, third lap — me and Alex from Ride Revolution bridged across, and then we were part of a cohesive 10-man group that worked well together. Towards the latter stages there were attacks going off. I just managed to get the right split with a five-man group off the front.”
The finish, he said, came down to “pretty much a standing sprint”, with Riwnyj just able to edge Nicholson on the line.
The win is Riwnyj’s first domestic road result of the season, after opening his year with UCI racing in Rhodes. “Good to get some UCI exposure, just confidence again at that level,” he said, “and then back in the UK, it’s good to kick-start the campaign with a win.”
Foran CT’s spring now turns towards the Rás Mumhan at Easter. On this showing, they head there with momentum.
Results
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