6 Wightlink-LCM Systems Cycle Race Team members competed at the 6th round of the Mountbatten Circuits in Portsmouth last Wednesday.
Racing in the 40 minute plus 3 laps 3rd category race were Sam Baker, James Ebdon, Kev Foster, Ian Hayden and Austin Head. The pace was high from the start but a brief lull saw Hayden attack with another rider which soon became three as Ebdon got across.
The trio worked well but were soon reeled back by the bunch, then Austin attacked and forced a gap. 8 other riders went with him and after a few minutes Ebdon attacked out of the second group and bridged across the 200m gap to join the breakaway.
Meanwhile Baker, Foster and Hayden remained in the main peloton, ready to counterattack in case the breakaway wasn’t successful.
Thankfully the group worked well together and stayed away until the finish where Ebdon sprinted to 3rd place with Austin right behind in 4th.
In the 50 minute plus 3 lap elite race that followed, Matt Allsopp lined up. The pace was furiously fast from the gun, Allsopp found himself closing gaps and chasing breaks down before attacking himself with 2 others.
The trio held a large gap for over 15 minutes before being caught by the fractured bunch, when three others attacked and stayed away until the finish. Allsopp used his fast finish to take the bunch sprint for 4th place.
Elsewhere that day, team riders Adam Holleyman, Martin Sanders, Russell Thompson and Connor Ambrosini headed to Liss to take part in the A3CRG 10 Mile Time Trial.
The TT was held of the P881R course and is known to be one of the fastest courses in the south. Conditions were hot and sticky with temperatures in the mid 20s, and there was a slight headwind on the way out.
Team rider Martin Sanders managed to hold an average speed of 28.5 mph. The 5 mile point of the course was across a flyover which crosses the road and retuned the riders in the opposite direction.
On the return there was a bit of an uphill but with approximately 2.5 miles to go the course was fairly flat allowing for fast finishes.
Connor Ambrosini had the TT of his life and clocked an amazing 20.52, at only 19 years of age this was some ride by one of the team’s newest recruit.
Adam Holleyman set a new Personal Best with a time of 20.42, Holleyman averaged 29mph for the 10 mile course. Martin Sanders also rode to a new PB of 21:40 with newest team member Russell Thompson stopping the clock at 23:39 on a road bike for a new PB.
On Sunday (24th July ), 5 members of Wightlink-LCM System Cycle Race Team took on some tough competition at the VC Venta summer series crit at Winchester park and ride car park.
The riders faced a simple 1 minute track but with a sharp hair pin bend and a race duration of over 40 minutes it was a tough ride – sprinting out of the turn on every lap.
Martin Saunders was up first in the 4th category race. The pace was high from the start but Sanders positioned himself perfectly in the front of the group and avoided wasting too much energy.
Fighting to hold his position for the duration of the race paid off as he rounded the last turn in a great position to sprint for the line into 5th place. Sanders collected points towards his goal of moving up into 3rd category.
Next up was the 3rd cat race with Ian Hayden, Kev Foster, Sam Baker and Adam Holleyman. A slightly longer race and the same tough sprint out of the bottom hairpin turn was challenging for the riders.
After 50 gruelling minutes of racing Holleyman finished in 4th place collecting enough points to move up in 2nd category.
