Members of the Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team have crossed the Solent twice in the past week to participate in 3 different races at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth.4
Last Thursday saw riders take part in the Omega Portsmouth Circuits E12 and Cat 3 races.
In the E12 race Adam Holleyman and Matt Allsopp took on a total of 25 riders. Allsopp managed to get away in a 2 man break in the 2nd lap which lasted for 5 laps before getting caught by the main bunch. This was shortly followed by Holleyman getting away with another small group which eventually got reeled in.
A group of riders managed to get away leaving Holleyman and Allsopp finishing in a bunch sprint both just outside of the points.
In the Cat 3 race, Kev Foster, Russell Thomson, Andy Ward and Jerry Cooper lined up for the start of the 40 minute race over approximately 60 laps of the banked track.
Ward, riding his first 3rd cat race was looking to build on his good early season form that had seen him placed in a number of races gaining him his 3rd cat in licence. Cooper was returning after a break, this being his first race for 5 years.
The early pace was fast, averaging around 28mph and Thompson managed to get in an break with 3 other riders. They stayed off the front of the main bunch for a few laps but were eventually brought back. A few riders tried there luck at getting away but with the speed of the main field remaining high it looked like the race would inevitably end in a bunch sprint.
Having ridden strongly throughout, all the Wightlink-Wight Mountain riders grouped together once the 4 laps to go board went out. As the pace went up on the last lap they looked ideally placed for a good result. Just as they entered the last 200m disaster struck when another rider crashed into the back of Ward, coming down in front of Thomson and Cooper. Thomson took to the grass to avoid crashing with Cooper and Foster managing to squeeze through a gap to stay upright.
With the opportunity for a place gone all 3 finished in the main bunch. Ward managed to stay upright but his bike was wrecked and he was unable to finish. Despite the disappointment all the riders felt they were going well and are hoping for a better result next week.
It wasn’t exclusively last Wednesday that the Island team were in action… James Pett travelled to the Mountbatten Centre on Sunday (6th May).
The race started with a steady pace. As 1 rider tried a solo breakaway James chased him down pulling the pack back together.
As the race picked up towards the end James positioned himself well for the final sprint. He sprinted to the end winning the full 10 points and securing his third cat license.
