#InspiredRacing

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NWCCA – Beacon Park – Round 13

Sunday 24th January, a pleasant day with temperatures into double figures and no rain!

Three Inspire VCUK riders: Cory Edmondson; Nathan Hawthorn and Daniel Gibson travelled to Beacon Country Park, Upholland, Skelmersdale for the final round (13) of the NW cyclocross series, organised by the St Helen’s CRC.

Although there was mud it was a refreshing change from the mud baths of late!

Around 30 youth riders lined up for the start and when the whistle blew it was Cory who took the lead with a very fast start, immediately opening a gap.

A new found confidence in his bike after having technical issues this season showed as he continued to dominate the race. He stayed away and managed a 30 sec lead on the first lap.

Isaac Peatfield was in pursuit followed by Nathan and Daniel. A long course with a few challenges around steps proved to be a good course for the riders. All riders were looking strong but Daniel fell from the chasers when he collided with a rock, he carried on and finished 5th.

Cory took the win with a lead of 2 mins with Isaac 2nd Nathan 3rd. This result secured 3rd place overall in the league for Cory, and 4th place for Nathan.

Adding to this the 1st place that Lewis secured at Macclesfield, we are proud to announce that the Inspire VCUK Racing Team are the TEAM WINNERS for 2015/16.

A great finish to the CX season for VCUK!

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National Trophy MK and Track League

Last Friday we had the whole team racing at the MRTL Friday night track league.

The team is encouraging all the lads to continue racing and training on the track as this is the best way to improve pedalling technique. Here the boys start to pin their numbers on …. all apart from Luke who took the picture !

The track racing on Friday was followed by a full on Regional School of Racing (essentially a British Cycling coaching day) held at the Manchester velodrome, attended by VCUK riders: Daniel Gibson, Tom Ashcroft, Nathan Hawthorn, Lewis Hartley and Luke Cheetham. This is by invitation only to riders that BC believe are worthy of this kind of track specific coaching.

This particular session was all about learning how to ride an elimination race or “Devil takes the hindmost” as it is often referred.

On Sunday, Cory Edmondson was the only Inspire VCUK rider to travel to Milton Keynes for the last round of the British Cycling National Trophy CX series.

An overnight snowfall had made the course treacherous and in freezing conditions around 50 riders took to the start line.

Euan Cameron, Lewis Askey and Charlie Craig were amongst the riders gridded on the front row.

An early incident left Cory at the back of the race on the first climb but after half a lap he had moved up to 28th.

A technical and very muddy course with lots of off-camber slopes made riding difficult in places so a good day for the keen runners!

Euan, Lewis , Charlie & Toby Barnes  formed a leading group early on that stayed together throughout, finishing in that order.

Cory made a valiant attempt to break into the top 10 but had to settle for 14th in the end  – a very tough cold race!

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National Cyclocross Championships – Shrewsbury

It’s taken a few days to get around to reporting on the CX National Championships held at Shrewsbury last weekend, mainly owing to the muddy aftermath!!

Yes it was an extremely muddy event, helped in this respect by the vast amount of rain that has fallen on the Sundorne Sports Village over the past few weeks.

Firstly, big Kudos to Dave Mellor and his merry team of Mid-Shropshire Wheelers who put on a fantastic weekend of racing.

From the Inspire VCUK racing team we had our biggest fielding of riders this season, with five from six racing including Northern Champion Lewis Hartley, Cory Edmondson, Nathan Hawthorn, Daniel Gibson and young gun Tommy Ashcroft.

The team assembled at the venue on the morning of the 9th January, having earlier completed some warm up and recce laps.

The race was scheduled to start at 13:15 but eventually set off a little later than scheduled, using the closed circuit tarmac strip as a starting point.

Over 70 riders took to the grid, probably the biggest field any of our riders have faced in CX to date with the very best of British talent lined on the first two rows of the grid.

The field included winners of previous rounds such as Euan Cameron, Toby Barnes, Lewis Askey, Ben Tulett and other consistently strong contenders such as Charlie van der Craig and Matty Taylor.

As the riders set off, very fast, the first challenge was to get up the first small grassy rise and over the top in a good position – this short video illustrates the challenge quite well:

After the first lap, leaders of the race began to make their mark with Euan showing good strength near the front with Harrison Knight. Lewis Hartley was placed a little further back in 7th stuck to Lewis Askey’s wheel.

Cory was lying around 20th, with Daniel and Nathan riding in around 50th place. Tommy meanwhile was having a nightmare after his bike clogged up with mud very quickly to the point where his rear derailleur detached from the frame – game over!

To be fair, Tom and Daniel were doing well to get round the course considering the fact that they each only had one bike whereas most of the field had two bikes that were being cleaned every half lap!

By the mid-point of the race Lewis had moved up to 5th place and was looking good for maintaining that position to the end. Meanwhile at the very front of the race, Ben Tulett had made a cracking move off the front of the race and looked good for a solo victory.

As the race came to a close, Lewis H started to look a little tired. With only a couple of hundred feet to the finish, a group of three chasers managed to catch up and Lewis had nothing left for the sprint, having to settle for 8th. Still a great result considering the quality in the field and nature of the course.

Cory meanwhile managed to take a few places and finished in 17th, with Nathan in 49th and Daniel in 55th.

The winner of the race was Ben Tulett riding for Beeline-Gener8, who recently finished 2nd at the Bradford Trophy. Ben will have the honour of sporting a stripy jersey through 2016/17 as he is only a first year youth A so a big win for Ben. In 2nd place was another Ben, Healy this time from Solihull CC and the final podium place went to Lewis Askey from Lichfield City CC.

The full results are here >>> https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/2016_Cross_Champs_-_U16_Boys_Results.pdf

Thanks very much to Gammons Cycling Photography for the images https://www.facebook.com/Gammons-Cycling-Photography-233997400140597/ contained in the report.

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NWCCA - Round 12 - Macclesfield

On Monday the 28th December, several of the team travelled south to Macclesfield for the NWCCA  Super Cross event.

The first race of the day saw over 30 youth riders line up for a hasty start on a relatively dry course (considering recent weather!).

Lewis took up an early lead with Solomon Kerfoot-Robson, Charlie Craig and Isaac Peatfield with Cory Edmondson not too far behind, after experiencing a slow start.

Charlie threw in a couple of small attacks to try and gain a gap from the other 3 riders with Lewis the only rider willing to reel him back.

Lewis was feeling under the weather after a bout of Xmas flu and didn’t want to go too deep and worsen the recovery so mid-race he backed off.

Cory reeled in Lewis over time and then caught up with Solomon just before the final sprint to the line, managing to take 3rd place, with Isaac taking 2nd and Charlie taking the win.

Lewis finished in 5th place, a reflection of his condition on the day, but this result secured Lewis the overall league title for 2015/2016.

Nathan Hawthorn and Daniel Gibson had another enjoyable race finishing in 6th and 9th respectively – rounding off a good team effort with all four riders in the top 10.

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National Trophy - Round 5 - Bradford and Podium success!

On Sunday the 13th December was Round 5 of the British Cycling National Trophy Cyclo-Cross Series. There are six rounds altogether so one remaining in Milton Keynes in mid-January.

These races attract the very best of British talent and whilst the Inspire VCUK riders have not attended all the rounds, both Cory and Lewis have entered in the rounds that require less travelling.

At the last minute, Cory was unable to travel to Bradford having experienced some kind of winter bug sickness on Saturday night, so it was down to Lewis Hartley to show his form at the very wet and muddy terrain of Peel Park in Bradford!

The race got going at 12noon, taking place after several other races for different categories, so the ground was already very cut-up. The main problem with this kind of ground is the mud, mixed with leaves, collecting on the bike. This not only slows the bike down because of the rubbing between moving parts and the frame but also make the bike very heavy. It essentially forced the riders into the pits every half lap for a bike change. So while one bike is ridden, the spare bike is being cleaned by the VCUK pit team ( thanks to Sinéad Burke in particular for helping out).

The first lap involved the best riders in the race making progress towards the front, especially after a few minor collisions early on when large numbers of riders were trying to negotiate tight and slippery turns.

The rider to make the biggest impact early on was Lewis Askey (Lichfield City CC) who pulled out a decent lead in the first quarter of the race which continued thereafter. Around fifteen seconds back was Lewis Hartley from the Inspire VCUK Racing Team, looking very good in 2nd place with Charlie Craig and Ben Tulett not too far behind.

In the latter stages of the race, say last 10 minutes, Lewis made a mistake and slipped off his bike on a technical descent. This is not unusual at any level in this game but this error cost him 2nd place overall as Ben Tulett took the opportunity to ride past Lewis and forge a good gap that remained to the finish.

Edinburgh’s Sean Flynn also had a good race and strong finish, following Lewis up the final stretch of tarmac to take 4th place.

Lewis was thrilled with this result, his first podium at National level and building on his victory in the Northern Champs last weekend. Hi is now looking to build further towards the National Championships on Shrewsbury on the 9th January.

Full Result >>> https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/2015_NT5_under_16_boys_result.pdf

#DirtyWeekend

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Northern Area Championships

On Sunday the 6th December was the Northern Area Cyclo-Cross Championship held at Heaton Park in Manchester.

The event is almost as significant as a trophy event, encompassing the regions of the North West, North East and Yorkshire.

The youth race had over seventy entrants in the A/B categories with each category for boys and girls being set off separately.

In the Youth A race, Lewis Hartley and Cory Edmondson represented the Inspire VCUK Racing Team, joined by a number of other talented riders including former national champion and recent trophy round winner Euan Cameron (East Bradford CC), Charlie Craig (Scott Racing), Oliver Draffan (Derwentside CC), and two Pedalsport riders from Yorkshire: Max Rushby and Jenson Young.

After the passing of storm Desmond on Saturday, the ground conditions were expected to be very wet but surprisingly, the course was not too muddy and clearly had good drainage!

The course was undulating, technical, included two sets of hurdles and lots of running.

The whistle blew to set the riders off around 11:30am and the initial pace was red hot. Euan Cameron and Charlie Craig were early pace setters with Cory also getting up there on the first half lap.

Not too long after the start, Cory experienced a few problems with his brakes (sticking) and was hampered thereafter. Having a bike that functions is paramount to a good performance and we understand Cory is going to get to work on eradicating his brake issues for future events.

Meanwhile the race was hotting up at the front with Euan really forcing the pace through the pits with Charlie in close quarters, gapping the Pedal Sport riders and Lewis who lay in 5th.

Lewis was playing a game of patience, probably struggling a little to match the initial power set by the giant Euan at the beginning of the race. Lewis, however, looked smooth and comfortable and as he passed the fast side of the pits he was clearly on mission to catch the leaders.

As the riders came by for the 2nd lap, Lewis was now almost level with Euan, who entered the pits, whilst Lewis passed by and pressed on up the climb and subsequent hurdles. This was one of the critical parts of the race as Euan then lost contact and dropped back to 3rd place whilst Lewis rose up to 2nd.

A lap later and the race was being battled out between Lewis and Charlie. Just before the pits was a technical tree section and Lewis hit this hard and fast which Charlie on his wheel. Charlie’s rear wheel slipped out and off rode Lewis past the pits and up the hill, piling on more pressure.

The final lap became a victory lap for Lewis as the gaps soon became significant with those left behind looking tired and worn down.

This was one of Lewis’s target events for his 2015/16 CX season and he was delighted to take the championship for VCUK.

[inspireracingteam]

NWCCA – Round 11 – Stadt Moers

On Sunday the 22nd November 2015, the Inspire VCUK Racing Team travelled to Merseyside for Round 11 of the NWCCA held at the Stadt Moers Country Park.

Setting off at 8am the vehicle showed zero degrees so a cold morning was expected. On arrival the sky was patchy blue and the sun came out so not as cold after all.

A field of around forty youth riders assembled on the central path through the park to start the race at 10:45am on the dot!

VCUK riders Lewis Hartley and Daniel Gibson both charged away from the front of the grid to lead the race through the initial technical turns around the pits with the rest of the field, including Isaac Peatfield and Craig Rogers, hot on their heels.

After the first lap, Lewis was still leading the race with Craig Rogers in close company and these two would make a race for the next 4-5 laps. Meanwhile, Isaac and Daniel were having their own little battle for the final podium spot a little further back.

In the later stages of the race, Lewis attached Craig before and after the pits in a pre-planned assault up a muddy bank that Lewis rode whilst Craig ran and carried. As Lewis rode over the top, having forged a small lead, he then continued to power away to gain a gap that was sustainable.

The race seemed to last a little longer than usual and finished after around 35 minutes of racing with Lewis taking his 8th league victory this season. Craig Rogers finished 2nd some distance back, followed by Isaac in 3rd and Daniel in 4th – another super ride by Daniel using only 1 bike (i.e. no pit changes!).

Anyone wondering where Cory Edmondson was…well he was attending a British Cycling Regional School of Racing for Mountain Bikers, taking up a great opportunity to access top class coaching and advice from the national federation for cycling.

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NWCCA – Round 10 – Otterspool

Round 10 of the NWCCA league was the infamous Geoff Bewley Memorial CX hosted by Liverpool Century RC at Otterspool park, Liverpool, last Saturday…a great setting on the banks of the river Mersey.

The day started off with a mist in the air and small showers which left the course very boggy in some places.

The whistle blew at 10:45am with around 40 riders frantically clipping in and racing uphill towards the pits to enter the course for the remaining laps.

A group of early leaders formed containing two Inspire VCUK riders: Lewis Hartley and Cory Edmondson, alongside Sol Kerfoot-Robson and Isaac Peatfield.

Part way through the opening lap, as the riders entered the upper part of the course, Lewis lost his back wheel on a particularly slippery corner and then Isaac crashed over Lewis with Cory also struggling to get past. This enabled Sol to escape and forge a good lead on the rest who were in hot pursuit.

Lewis soon got back into the race with Cory and Isaac on his tail and by the time the riders had reached the pits on the 2nd lap, Lewis had caught Sol and overtaken the leader who subsequently retired from the race.

This left Isaac and Cory battling out the remaining laps for 2nd and 3rd places, with Nathan Hawthorn and Daniel Gibson not too far behind either.

Unfortunately Tom Ashcroft, our fifth rider in this race had a very early mechanical which caused his rear derailleur to separate from the frame and his race was over almost as soon as it started!

In the end, Lewis took a convincing victory, with Isaac just taking 2nd place from Cory who finished 3rd to round off the podium.

Nathan finishing 35 seconds down on the leader in 4th and Dan Gibson, who had earlier crashed, finished 38 seconds down in 8th.

Another good day out for the Inspire VCUK Racing Team!

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National Trophy – Round 3 – Durham

On Sunday the riders faced a particularly muddy course as the venue at Durham had been used the previous day for a regional event.

The National Trophy youth race kicked off at mid-day with close to 50 top class youth A riders in the event. Cory set off a couple of rows back having gained points in earlier rounds. Lewis set off at the very back of the field having not participated in the series so far.

Once the whistle had been blown the riders accelerated away along a flat grassy strip next to the river. Lewis clipped in quick and was able to make good progress through the field before being held up a little on the tough muddy and claggy top section around the pits.

After a couple of laps Lewis was lying in 15th place, some way behind the leader Euan Cameran but closing on Matt Taylor and Oliver Draffon. After getting right up to Matt, Lewis took a pit change and then Matt took off and again leaving Lewis quite a bit of work to do to catch up.

Meanwhile Cory was struggling with the conditions and whilst he started the race OK, he seemed to be drifting back as the laps passed. Cory does not thrive in the mud and this was not his best display but no doubt we will see improvements at this tough level of racing as the season continues.

In the end Lewis finished a commendable 12th and at National level, this is a good result, especially when you start at the back. Some of the muddy sections also need a certain amount of brute force which Lewis is currently lacking. Cory eventually finished 28th.

Another good weekend for learning how to ride CX bikes fast!

Video link to Durham race here>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yN3QCpG2MA

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NWCCA – Round 9 – Cartmel

On Saturday the Inspire VCUK Racing Team had Cory Edmondson and Nathan Hawthorn racing in Cartmel and it proved to be one of the wettest days of the season so far!

A great start to the race with Cory, Nathan and Isaac Peatfield (Bolton Hotwheels) making up an early leading group on a particularly short course for the youths that included long wet grassy sections that travelled downhill to some hurdles and then back up the hill through the woods.

Cory and Isaac broke away quite early leaving all the other riders in their wake and then took turns to lead the race.

Coming out of the woods on the second lap Cory failed to appear and Isaac was way out in front on his own. When Nathan passed the pits we then learned that Cory had suffered a mechanical and was being held up trying to free his jammed chain!

Eventually Cory came into sight but was out of contention for the win as Isaac had now built a considerable lead ahead of Nathan and Tyler Koch.

Lap by lap and bunny hopping the hurdles Cory was putting In a fantastic fight back whilst Nathan putting down an excellent performance to maintain his 2ndposition.

In the end, it was Isaac Peatfield that deservedly took the win, followed by a fantastic 2nd place for our own Nathan Hawthorn, with Tyler Koch rounding out the podium in 3rd place.

A disappointed Cory rolled home in 4th but lived to fight another day!

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Race Report - NW Cyclocross Round 8, Otterspool Park, 31st October

 In contrast to the previous round, sunny and mild weather greeted the riders for round 8 of the North West Cyclocross League at Otterspool Park, Liverpool.

 The team was represented by Nathan Hawthorn, Dan Gibson and Tom Ashcroft, on a course that consisted of long grassy straights, woodland tracks, short sharp descents and lots of twists and turns!

 Over thirty riders took to the grid and eagerly awaited the start. It was on the start line that Nathan noticed he had a puncture….yet again! Luckily after a mad dash to the pits, he changed his wheel and was back on the start line to get the starting whistle.

 After a very fast start, Bolton Hot wheels rider Isaac Peatfield and Marsh Tracks Sol Kerfoot-Robson quickly opened a gap on the rest of the field, and this is how it would remain until the end.  Back in the main field, Nathan was battling it out with Oliver Mashiter from Furness Flyers for the 4th and 5th spot. Just behind the pair was Dan, who rode solo for most of the race after opening up a 30 second gap on the riders behind. Tom, riding very well in the main bunch, was battling it out with 3 riders for his overall position.

 On the bell lap, the battle for 1st and 2nd was hotting up, but it was Isaac Peatfield who took the win from Kerfoot-Robson. Nathan, in his dual for 4th place, emerged from the woods in front of Oliver and managed to hold him off to the line to take 4th. Dan came over the line in 6th place and Tom fended off Tom Murray from Scott Racing to take 11th place.

 Well done to the boys on a tricky and technical course.

 Photo Credit to Stephen Salmon – Many Thanks

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National Trophy – Round 2, Derby

A contrast from the previous day with the sun shining but a little chilly from the clear sky at night.

Cory Edmondson was the only VCUK rider to travel to Derby for the second round of the national trophy.

The course was relatively dry which is rather unusual  and unexpected for the Derby venue.

Around sixty national level riders were gridded and once the whistle sounded they pelted down the tarmac at high speed before hitting the green stuff.

Cory had a great start and was placed around 10th.

Ben Tulett took the early lead after bunny hopping the hurdles and immediately opening up a significant gap from Lewis Askey and Toby Barnes.

Euan Cameron was looking strong and chased the leaders throughout the race but never really threatened the top three.

Ben Healy,  Jenson Young and Craig Rogers were a few of the riders that followed close behind.

A group with Charlie Craig and Matty Taylor were just ahead of Cory and at one point it looked as if he would join up but he never quite managed to bridge across.

The course became quite slippery with off-camber sections and rideable steps but only a handful of riders manged to negotiate the steps.

A very exciting race and Cory finished 19th – room for improvement, but a good result with everything considered.

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NWCCA – Round 7 – Northwich

The day began very wet, with the first muddy course beckoning.

For RD7 the Inspire VCUK Racing Team had Cory Edmondson, Nathan Hawthorn and Daniel Gibson on the starting grid.

The Edmondson family only made the race with minuets to spare after “vehicle issues” so no time to try the course or even warm up for young Cory!

The race started with 29 riders and a very fast start commenced with Cory in the lead, but the race came to an abrupt stand still minutes later after it was noticed that the course had not been marked out properly!

A while later (20 mins or so) and feeling rather chilly from being held up, the riders finally got going and again a very good start from Cory who once again led the race with Isaac Peatfield on his wheel.

The course was wet and muddy in the true style of a winter CX racing with lots of single track woodland and then open fields.

Cory and Isaac opened a large gap on the rest of the riders but Cory was unable to despatch Isaac who seemed very strong today. Cory rode most of the race with Isaac on his wheel but did force him on to the front towards the end of the race.

In the final straight, Cory then took the lead before entering the technical finish area and was able to cross the line for first place, his first victory of the season!

Having a great race himself was Daniel, who battled hard all day to cross the line in 3rd place, his highest finish ever in a CX race – brilliant.

So, well done to Cory and Daniel from the VCUK and also Isaac from Bolton Hot Wheels for putting up a great contest!

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Rapha Super Cross – Round 2 – Shibden Hall, Halifax

Last Sunday, Cory represented the Inspire VCUK Racing Team at the Rapha Super Cross, crossing the border into Yorkshire to the fantastic venue of Shibden Hall in Halifax.

The venue offered a very tough hilly course with technical sections. The weather started damp and foggy leaving the ground a little muddy from the previous day’s racing but the rain held off, just!

A monster of a hill kicked off the start of the race off splitting the group very early in the race with Jenson Young, Charlie Craig , Matthew Taylor, Euan Cameron and Cory taking the lead.

Cowbells, music and cheer was all you could hear as these 5 riders fought it out while negotiating the slippery off-camber slopes.

As the race progressed Jenson was able forge a good lead with Charlie and Matthew fighting for 2nd and 3rd positions. Matthew eventually caught Jenson and was looking strong.

A mechanical forced a change of bike for Matthew as he passed the pits allowing Jenson to get away once again, followed  by Charlie.

Euan meanwhile was having his own problems requiring a short run to the pits which enabled Cory to move into 4th position.

Euan then pursued Cory who later suffered a chain issue allowing Euan the opportunity to close the gap but Cory was too determined to maintain his lead and sprinted up the hill to open out the gap once again.

Cory was very pleased to take 4th place ahead of former national champion Euan with Jenson, Matthew and Charlie in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

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NWCCA Round 6 – Bebington Oval

Last Saturday the Inspire VCUK Racing Team travelled to the Bebington Oval on the Wirral peninsular for the 6th Round of the North West Cycle Cross Association league of races.

In this race we had Cory Edmondson, Daniel Gibson and Lewis Hartley representing the team with the other half of the team attending the NW Regional School of Racing at the Manchester Velodrome.

This was the first time that this venue has been used for a CX event and whilst the venue is relatively flat, it proved to be a popular and highly rated course.

With the continued spell of very dry weather the ground was hard under foot with a surface of freshly mown grass. There were some technical features near to and beyond the pits and also around the commentary gazebo but in between were long and fast sections.

Around 35 riders took to the start line for the 30 minute youth race with local favourite Craig Rogers representing his nearby club the Birkenhead North End. When the whistle sounded the riders clipped in quick and sped away with Cory getting an early advantage from the rest.

After half a lap a Cory was joined by Lewis and Craig and these three then set about making a race for themselves. On the first lap, as the riders negotiated the hurdles Cory tripped up and in the process lost his chain which took him a while to fix. Meanwhile, Craig and Lewis put the power down and then made it a race for 1st and 2nd places.

Over the following laps, Craig looked the more powerful whilst Lewis was just gliding around the course content to stick close to Craig poised to take any opportunity that came his way. On the penultimate lap, Lewis attacked before the finish area but there was no way Craig would allow him to gain an advantage so the two riders continued to cruise round the course for the final lap.

Meanwhile, Cory was fighting his way back through the field, trying to catch Isaac Peatfield for the 3rd podium position but Isaac was determined to hold on. Daniel was having a good race as well, riding in 6th position and enjoying the crit like conditions!

As Lewis and Craig crossed the hurdles for the final time it was Craig that got the lead and advantage over Lewis, checking his shoulder and preparing for a final onslaught to the line. The commentators were getting excited as well, remarking how strong Craig had looked throughout the race and wondering if Lewis would have the strength to come around him?

As the sprint unfolded Craig turned on his after burners but Lewis reacted with his own turbo charged pistons to hold Craig’s wheel up to the final chicane only a few meters from the flag. Spectacularly, Lewis accelerated around Craig at the very last moment through a narrow gap on the outside of the final corner to cross the line in first place! The crowd went crazy and the commentators were simply lost for words…

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NWCCA – Westmorland Showground – Round 4

This weekend provided the first double header of the season with the boys riding on Saturday at Heaton Park in RD3, followed by races in the South Lakes at the Westmorland Showground on Sunday (RD4).

Sunday seemed a little warmer and less damp with only a light breeze in the air (and the odd hot air balloon!).

This is the first time the venue has been used by the NWCCA and on reflection it was just perfect…in fact, it was that good that we will be recommending it for future Trophy events. There was ample parking, changing facilities, and superb terrain for making a real spectacle in CX racing. Perhaps even the next World Cup…Simon Burney?

Anyway, on with the racing and no disappointing here. Nathan, Cory and Lewis were joined by around thirty youth riders who assembled at the entrance to the park to begin their race. An air horn was used to signal the start on a gravel  track that  passed through the finish area before veering off uphill and on to the green stuff.

Cory sprinted off the line once the race was underway, full of rage from the previous day, and pulled away immediately with Lewis and Nathan at his side. These three then proceeded to grow their lead through the initial stages of the race.

On the bottom of one of the descents, Lewis entered the corner at full pelt with Cory and Nathan on his wheel. Cory later remarked that Lewis rode into the corner way too fast and when he tried to follow he ended up in the tape with Nathan – that’s racing I suppose – who dares wins!

None of the Inspire VCUK riders were at their best to be truthful…having picked up sore throats in the week and suffering with the early stages of a cold. So to be in the lead and so dominant in their second race of the weekend was impressive.

By the time the riders were on their the final lap, Lewis had gained an unassailable lead, lapping most of the field, whilst Cory and Nathan were battling it out for the 2nd place. Unfortunately Nathan punctured just before the pits and was forced on to a mountain bike, thereby having to settle for third.

So after four rounds, and almost halfway through the number of qualifying events (10), we have Lewis taking his 4th win from four events and leading the league, with Cory Edmondson lying second. Nathan has missed one event but is finely poised to take 3rd spot, especially if he can keep the air in his tyres!

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NWCCA – Heaton Park, Manchester – Round 3

On Saturday the 3rd October, the team assembled in Heaton Park for Round Three of the North West Cyclo Cross Association League.

This venue is on the edge of Manchester and offers a very large expanse of Victorian greenbelt ideal for this type of racing. The venue will also be used later in the season for the North of England Championship but no doubt more rain will have fallen by then!

The day began quite foggy, cold and damp with signs of Autumn certainly on show. The riders went through their usual warm-up ritual and then assembled on the start line at 10:45am for a 30 minute race.

On paper, the field looked reasonably strong with the attendance of Olympic Apprentices Craig Rogers and Soloman-Kerfoot Robson, alongside Matty Taylor from PH-MAS Cycling (winner of several Yorkshire points races this season) and Charlie Craig, a talented 1st year A and son of Nick Craig, the prolific national title holder and Scott Ambassador.

From the Inspire VCUK Race Team we had Lewis Hartley (winner of Rounds 1 & 2) alongside Cory Edmondson, Nathan Hawthorn and Daniel Gibson.

By all accounts, the race set off very fast and up a slight rise before heading to an off-camber / tree section ending with a set of steps. As the riders approached the steps, Lewis was able to move up to the front of the pack and then began the application of pressure to those behind. Just before the steps there was a small catastrophe for Cory when his chain snapped. This required a short run to the pits in order to swap bikes before he could re-join the proceedings some way behind the leaders.

Meanwhile, a strong leading group of five riders was setting the pace as they appeared in sight over a small summit in the distant mist. This summit was just after some hurdles which Lewis was able to bunny-hop and gain time on his rivals. The group re-formed on the descent but this kind of pressure is always helpful.

Mid-way through the race an incident occurred where Craig Rogers lost some grip on a damp grassy corner. Craig slid into Matty Taylor and both had problems getting going as their bikes became tangled. Sol, Lewis and Charlie carried on regardless and this was the point when the race was lit up. Lewis attacked just after the hurdles and managed to gain a considerable gap on his rivals over a very short space of time and then continued at full gas for a good lap to cement his lead in the race.

Not far behind the action was Nathan Hawthorn and Dan Gibson, both riding exceptionally well for the VCUK, riding as a pair for 5th and 6th position. After the earlier collision Craig Rogers was now riding in 7th position.

So as the race came to close, Lewis riding solo was again allowed to raise his hands for his 3rd consecutive victory, from Sol Kerfoot-Robson in 2nd place and Charlie van der Craig in 3rd. Matty Taylor took 4th followed by Inspire VCUK riders Nathan and Daniel in 5th and 6th. Cory rolled home in 13th place after suffering an early mechanical failure and later flying over his handle bars when his rear wheel jammed going through the pits…not Cory’s day to be fair!