Velo29 Cycling Team

Tuesday 16th August saw the final round of the Martyn Dobson Memorial Series, with overal winners in no less than 12 different race categories.

Youth Racing

Starting with the youths as usual, there were double the number of A and B cat riders tonight. But this made little difference to the results as Bradley Naughton, Matthew Worton and Alice Grieve all won their respective categories and consequently their overall classifications too.

The C, D & E categories were well supported throughout the whole series and tonight was no different. The youth winners tonight were:

Boys A: Bradley Naughton
Girls A: Alice Grieve

Boys B: Matthew Worton

Boys C: Toby Tanfield
Girls C: Ffion Lanigan

Boys D: Connor Eyeington
Girls D: Abi Smith

Boys E: Patrick Kilkullen
Girls E: Hannah Liddle

See below for the full youth results for the series.  Well done to the Stockton Wheelers who came away with no less than 4 winners medals this year! 

Senior Racing

Consistant points scorer Michael Dales of Velo29 came away the overal victor of the Martyn Dobson Memorial Trophy courtesy of wining the 6-up sprint finish in the final round.  Second place on the night went to Craig Anderson of Black Hawk Bikes in his first ride of the series, and third place went to Richard Meadows (Velo29) who had lead the series from the first week until the final round.  Richard was clearly disappointed to have missed out on the overall win, and having finished equal on points with Dales can consider himself very unlucky.

With a strong wind blowing, the race tonight was hard from the gun.  It wasn’t long before the race had split into 3 distinct groups.  Leading the way were Dales, Meadows, Jack Rees (Velo29), Craig Anderson (Black Hawk) and Simon Baxter (Herbalife Wheelbase). 

In the chase group was eventual 4th placed overall Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo), Marcus Smith (Black Hawk Bikes), series organiser Dan Smith (Velo29), Chris Mark (Velo29) and dispensated youth riders Charlie Tanfield (Velo29) and James King (Columba CC).  Doing the majority of the chasing in this group were Smith, King and Byers who had most to gain and they almost made the juncture… but not quite.  They did however provide the launch pad for Chris Mark who powered across the gap alone to join the leaders.

Back in the bunch, Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles), Alex Bottomley (Fietsen Tempo) and Thomas Timothy (Velo29), who had all been overall contenders found themselves stalemated and out of the running for victory.

The Green Jersey Competition was sown up tonight by Martin Hopkinson of Fietsen Tempo without him having to turn a pedal, thanks to his big lead in the competition.  The winner of tonight’s sprint though was S Deeley of Southport CC, and this was enough to give him 2nd place in the competition.  3rd place overall went to Graham Topp of Stockton Wheelers.

1st: Michael Dales (Velo29)
2nd: Craig Anderson (Black Hawk Bikes)
3rd: Richard Meadows (Velo29)
4th: Jack Rees (Velo29)
5th: Simon Baxter (Herbalife Wheelbase)
6th: Chris Mark (Velo29)
7th: Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo)
8th: Charlie Tanfield (Velo29)
9th: Dan Smith (Velo29)
10th: James King (Columba CC)

The top 10 overall in the Martyn Dobson Memorial Trophy Series:

1st: Michael Dales (Velo29) 29 pts
2nd: Richard Meadows (Velo29) 29 pts
3rd: Harry Tanfield (Wallis Cycles) 17 pts
4th: Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo) 16 pts
5th: Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles) 16 pts
6th: Alex Bottomley (Fietsen Tempo) 15 pts
7th: Thomas Timothy (Velo29) 15 pts
8th: David Johnson (Adept Precision) 13 pts
9th: Simon Baxter (Herbalife Wheelbase) 12 pts
10th: Jack Rees (Velo29) 11 pts

If anyone would like to see full results for the whole series, please email us at contact@velo29.com and we will send you the Excel Spreadsheet.

And finally a big thanks to everyone who turned up and made this race series happen; the riders, the many helpers and of course Martyn’s family.  I feel sure that Martyn would have enjoyed racing on this new circuit, and would undoubtedly have been capable of winning races here himself.

We hope to see you all at the Velo29 Winter Series next year.

Youth Racing

The C, D and E categories once again completed 8 laps and the A & B categories 15 laps of the Middlesbrough Cycle Circuit. 8 out of 10 of the youth categories were represented tonight. The winners tonight were:

Boys A: Bradley Naughton

Boys B: Matthew Worton

Boys C: Nathan Smith
Girls C: Megan Hopper

Boys D: Connor Eyeington
Girls D: Abi Smith

Boys E: Zachary Johnston
Girls E: Hannah Liddel

Overall Youth Results After 3 Rounds

Senior Racing

There was some enthralling tactical racing as riders placed in the top 10 started riding for the overall.  With only 2 weeks left, tonight’s results could have a big impact on the final outcome.

The scratch group lacked its usual organisation this week, with many riders trying to bridge the gap to the front group on their own or by taking only a small group of riders with them.

This meant that the 3rd and 4th cat groups easily stayed away long enough to take the points for the green jersey.  Martin Hopkinson (Fietsen Tempo) once again won the sprint and strengthened his lead in the competition over Graham Topp (Stockton Wheelers).  Martin needs to gain only 1 point in the final round on Tuesday to guarantee victory in the green jersey competition.

Tonight there were less than 10 riders from the scratch group that caught the handicap groups, and the only riders from the top 5 overall to get across were series leader Richard Meadows (Velo29) and team mate Michael Dales.  Richard however failed to capitalise on the opportunity to distance his rivals as he steered off the track and onto the grass in the final sprint.  

Tonight’s event though was won in style by Thomas Timothy (Velo29), who soloed clear of the group with 2 laps to go to win by a straight from the rapidly closing bunch as they sprinted for the line.  Results as follows:

1st: Thomas Timothy (Velo29)
2nd: Harry Tanfield (Wallis Cycles)
3rd: Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo)
4th: Graham Topp (Stockton Wheelers)
5th: Simon Baxter (Herbalife Wheelbase)
6th: Taylor Cardus (Velo29)
7th: Chris Mark (Velo29)
8th: Michael Dales (Velo29)
9th: Mike Rennison (Cleveland Wheelers)
10th: Stu Morris (Fietsen Tempo)

The final round is wide open with no less than 12 riders still in with a shout for the Martyn Dobson Memorial Trophy.

1st: Richard Meadows (Velo29) 21 pts
2nd: Harry Tanfield (Wallis Cycles) 17 pts
3rd: Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles) 16 pts
4th: Thomas Timothy (Velo29) 15 pts
5th: Alex Bottomley (Fietsen Tempo) 15 pts
6th: Michael Dales (Velo29) 14 pts
7th: David Johnson (Adept Precision) 13 pts
8th: Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo) 12 pts
9th: Marcus Smith (Black Hawk Bikes) 10 pts
10th: Rob Carter (Velo29) 10 pts

It was under the watchful eyes of Martyn’s mum, niece and nephew that today’s racing took place.  It was was a muggy evening, but the conditions couldn’t have been much better.

Youth Racing

As usual the youth racing kicked off procedings with the C, D and E categories doing 8 laps, followed by the A & B cats who raced for 15 laps.  With prizes for each category winner and a handful of primes thrown in for good measure, the racing was exciting! 

The winners of each category were:

Boys A: Bradley Naughton
Girls A: Alice Grieve

Boys B: Matthew Worton

Boys C: Nathan Smith

Boys D: Connor Eyeington
Girls D: Abi Smith

Boys E: Patrick Kilkullen
Girls E: Hannah Liddel

Senior Racing

Tonight’s racing for the Martyn Dobson Memorial Trophy was filled with thrills and even spills in the course of the action.  The handicap groups came together fairly early again this week, but not before the intermediate sprint had taken place.  Martin Axon (Velo29) kicked off the sprint with nearly a full lap to go, but was beaten into 3rd place by Martin Hopkinson (Fietsen Tempo) and the comeback king Graham Topp (Stockton Wheelers).  Martin now holds the Green Jersey for next week’s race.

The race came back together just a lap after the sprint.  Immediately the attacks started; Marcus Smith (Black Hawk Bikes) and Michael Dales (Velo29) were in the first break, but this was shortlived.  Then it was Richard Meadows (now of Velo29) who launched a blistering solo attack.  Next it was the turn of race organiser Dan Smith (Velo29) who stayed out front on his own for several laps before being caught by brother Marcus.  This break lasted until less than 20 laps to go before eventually being reeled in.

But the main break of the day was led away by Rob Carter (Velo29), Alex Bottomley (Fietsen Tempo), Taylor Cardus (Velo29) and a bit later Michael Dales (Velo29).  Despite huge efforts by Herbalife Wheelbase rider Simon Baxter to bring the break back, the leading 4 managed to stay away until two laps to go.

Now you would think at this point that the Velo29 had it won with 3 riders in the break and a climber to dispose of in the run in… but disaster struck as Rob and Taylor both crashed out with just 2 laps to go!  Young Alex took advantage of the confusion to forge away on his own, and he took victory by about 10 bike lengths from Michael Dales.

Leading the bunch home was the consistent Giles Pidcock in 3rd place.  Full results below:

1st: Alex Bottomley (Fietsen Tempo)
2nd: Michael Dales (Velo29)
3rd: Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles)
4th: David Johnson (Adept Precision)
5th: Richard Meadows (Velo29)
6th: Marcus Smith (BlackHawk)
7th: Kevin Byers (Fietsen Tempo)
8th: Alex Hopper (Velo29)
9th: Graham Topp (Stockton Wheelers)
10th: S Johnson

Overall
1st: Richard Meadows, 21 points

2nd: Giles Pidcock, 16 points

3rd: Alex Bottomley, 15 points

4th: David Johnson, 13 points

5th: Michael Dales, 11 points

6th Marcus Smith, 10 points

We hope to see you all back again for the penultimate round of the Martyn Dobson Memorial Series on Tuesday 9th August.

The first round of the Martyn Dobson Memorial Series kicked off on Tuesday in spectacular fashion. The racing has moved this year from Croft Motor Circuit to the brand spanking new Middlesbrough Cycle Circuit off Marton Road; the venue is excellent for spectating and racing alike.

Youth Racing

The evening started with youth racing just like last year, with more than 20 kids from aged Under 8 all the way up to Under 16 taking part. With youth categories C,D & E racing for 8 laps, and A & B racing for 18 laps, there was an appropriate distance for all age groups!

The winners of each category were:

Boys A: James King
Girls A: Stephanie Hall

Boys B: Matthew Worton
Girls B: Emma Brady

Boys C: Thomas Mein
Girls C: Demi Hall

Boys D: Connor Eyeington
Girls D: Jemima Love

Boys E: Patrick Kilkullen

Senior Racing

The senior race was run as a handicap event as per last year, with the 3rd and 4th cats being give 1min and 1min20 start respectively on the scratch group. The race came back together fairly early, which led to Richard Meadows (Pendragon) taking the sprint for the green jersey from Jack Rees (Velo29) and Simon Baxter (Herbalife Wheelbase). Richard will struggle to maintain his lead in this competition as it is intended for the 3rd & 4th cat groups… the sprint will be brought forward next week so that the prize will go to the riders for whom it’s intended. (Sorry scratch group!)

The race was truly exciting to watch from beginning to end, with strong attacks coming from Matt Kipling of Raleigh (last year’s series winner), Richard Meadows, Simon Baxter, Rob Carter (Velo29) and many others too numerous to mention.

In the end, a group of 9 riders escaped the field with less than 10 laps to go, consisting of Meadows, Carter, Rees, Kipling, Harry Tanfield (Wallis Cycles), David Johnson (Adept Prescision), James Alder (BlackHawkBikes), and Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles). Just as it looked like the group might be caught, Richard Meadows launched a powerful attack which converted into an impressive solo victory. Just behind was the only rider to react instantly, Velo29′s Rob Carter, and taking the sprint for 3rd was Giles Pidcock who had already won a prime earlier in the race.

Richard winning at Velo29's Stockton Cycling Festival earlier this year

Full Results:
1st: Richard Meadows (Pendragon)
2nd: Rob Carter (Velo29)
3rd: Giles Pidcock (Epic Cycles)
4th: Harry Tanfield (Wallis Cycles)
5th: David Johnson (Adept)
6th: Marcus Smith (BlackHawk)
7th: Jack Rees (Velo29)
8th: James Alder (BlackHawk)
9th: Matt Kipling (Raleigh)
10th: Michael Dales (Velo29)

Well done to all who took part; please encourage your teammates to come ride next week, and your friends and family to come and watch. The racing was exciting, and with the excellent cakes and drinks on offer at the club house it would be a shame to miss out!

See you all next week; Tuesday 2nd August at Prissick (the Middlesbrough Cycle Circuit).

For the last 3 weekend’s I have raced my Mountain Bike every Sunday, 10 hours @ Kirroughtree, XC National Championships and a 100km Marathon, so quite a good variety. I blogged about Kirroughtree the other week and here is my take on the other 2. It was the first time I had done the National XC Championships, it was only a 1 hour drive away in Richmond and the competition was………well, the best in the country. The master’s race was a little down on numbers but not on speed and we set off at a blistering pace. Not wanting to do a ‘frosty’ and spectacularly blow up I tried to hold back just a little. The new sections of technical trail were made very physical because of the mud, a factor that suits my riding style. A highlight of the course was a 45 degree steep, muddy chute lined with spectators awaiting the inevitable wipe-out which I’m sure there were plenty even if I did disappoint by staying on my bike. I settled into my pace and tried to hold on for 4 laps. I made a few places in the early part of the race and faded a little towards the end making the mistake of not eating and drinking enough during the race. I crossed the line 10^th master absolutely wasted and satisfied with my placing.

The following weekend I opted to ride the Dalby On One Hundred MTB Maraton, an event that’s in its first year and hopefully one that will continue. This time I rammed my jersey pockets with as much food, fluid and spares as they could take, not wanting to make the same mistake I did the previous week. If you blow with 40km to go on open exposed moorland, that’s going to be a very hard, lonely journey back in a world of hurt. We set off at a fairly comfortable pace with 4 of us pulling away from the rest of the field. I soon realised that one of them was last years Kielder 100 winner!! Oh dear, this will be tough. We dropped the fourth man after 15 minutes and it was 15 minutes later when the two leaders started to edge a gap on me. Not long after I could see them stood still on the moor and when I came flying past one guy said his back wheel had dropped out! As I was thinking, man that must have been frightening I clipped a pedal and went crashing head first into the ground. A quick check of bike and body and I was off again, behind the leaders again. I soon realised that my pedal axle was badly bent but pushed on. The next incident happened on some single-track over Goathland, I had hit my rear disc rotor on a rock and had to stop to bend it back into some sort of working shape. This was shaping up to be a tough day for my bike. All alone on the moor top racing hard got me to thinking what mtb racing is all about. For some it’s about winning but for most it’s about pushing your body and mind to it’s absolute limits then seeing if you can push it some more. On every climb my legs were screaming for a break and I knew I was sporting my ‘race face’. That didn’t matter as I had some potent caffeinated gels in my pocket to get me through the last 30k. After stopping at the feed station to fill up on water I knew there was still 40k to go but it seemed to pass in a blur of fast fire-road and caffeine concentration. A long, steep fire-road climb compounded the fatigue into my legs and as I approached the finish line I thought ‘this can’t be it’ finishing in a time of 3 hours 34 minutes, 3^rd finisher in the 100k. I had to check the map to make sure I had gone the right way!  I know I pushed hard as it’s 2 days after the event and my hip flexors are still sore.