Joe Staunton came 2nd in Round 3 of the Portsmouth Evening Circuits E/1/2 National B race last Wednesday (13th April).
The pace was hot from the start, and Joe made the early break with a small group, which became 5 riders and took a lap on the bunch. The race then became a game of cat and mouse with riders attacking off the front, but they were unable to make the attacks stick. At the bell the lapped riders were instructed to allow the group of 5 to contest the sprint: Joe just missed out on the win, taking 2nd place to pro Ribble Weldtite rider Red Walters.
Joe was in action again on Saturday, alongside teammates Matt Allsopp, Kev Chant, and Oliver Nolan in the Portsmouth Easter Omega Circuits E/1/2 National B race.
A brilliant tactical race by the team with the Wightlink-Wight Mountain riders covering every attack from the off. Joe and Kev managed to break away with 3 other riders, and they worked well together to gain an early lap whilst Oliver and Matt controlled the bunch behind them. With less than 10 laps to go, the bunch were caught out by 1 of the riders with a lap under their belt who took off and stayed away to take the win.
Kev just missed out in the bunch sprint having to settle for 3rd place, closely followed by Joe in 4th, and Matt taking 7th. Oliver was looking good to pick up some points in the top 10 but was hampered by a bad crash on the last lap, luckily avoiding any injury.
